A new BBC investigation has uncovered significant omissions in the account of a Ghanaian-born prophet whose wife, Scottish woman Charmain Speirs, was found dead in a Ghanaian hotel bathtub in 2015—just six months after their wedding.
Charmain Speirs, 40, met Prophet Eric Adusah, head pastor of Global Light Revival Church, through a Christian dating site in spring 2014. They married that September. By March 2015, she was dead. A Ghanaian post-mortem recorded a probable heroin overdose, despite heroin being extremely rare in the city of Koforidua, where her body was found.
Adusah was arrested on suspicion of murder but released due to lack of evidence. He has denied any involvement.
Now, a three-part BBC Disclosure documentary, Charmain and the Prophet, has revealed new witness accounts, alibi discrepancies, and testimony from former partners who describe a pattern of coercive control and manipulation.
The Night at the Hotel
Police records show Adusah was the last person known to see Charmain alive. He told Ghanaian detectives he left their hotel room after midnight to travel to Accra for a 6am meeting, claiming Charmain wanted to stay longer in Ghana.
But a hotel worker—named only as Edward—tells the BBC that Adusah omitted a crucial detail. Edward says late that night, two tall men arrived with Adusah and went with him to room 112. One carried a briefcase. They stayed up to an hour, then helped Adusah load bags into his car. Adusah never mentioned these visitors to police.
Retired Scottish Detective Superintendent Allan Jones, who reviewed the case files, called the omission “highly suspicious.”
The BBC also tracked down the reverend Adusah claimed he was driving to meet at 6am. That reverend did not corroborate the story. Ghanaian police did not respond to BBC questions about why the alibi was never tested.
The Heroin Mystery
Lead pathologist Dr. Afua Abrahams found no marks of violence on Charmain’s body but was surprised to detect a heroin metabolite. She asked detectives how a tourist could obtain heroin in Koforidua. She says they told her: “People who use drugs know where to find them.”
Police found no drug paraphernalia, no heroin traces in the room, and nothing among Charmain’s belongings.
Adusah told police his wife was suicidal and had a history of drug abuse. But more than 20 friends and family members, including her mother Linda Speirs, rejected that claim.
“She hated anybody on drugs,” Linda said. “She says: ‘why would anybody do that to their body?’”
A second UK post-mortem later analysed Charmain’s hair. It was negative for opioids, confirming she was not a long-term user.
‘He Controlled Every Aspect of Her Life’
The investigation also uncovered that Adusah has used multiple identities: Eric Adu Brefo in Ghana, and Eric Isaiah Kusi Boateng in the United States, where he now lives in Maryland and continues to preach.
Former partners described a pattern of isolation and psychological control. One woman, “Emily,” said Adusah took her phone, controlled her clothes, and told her she could not see her family.
“I was manipulated by the fact it was God’s will,” she said. “I was afraid of going against God’s will.”
But the most striking testimony came from Charmain’s son, Isaac, who was nine years old when his mother died. Now 19, he told the BBC he witnessed physical and psychological abuse.
“I could hear my mum screaming and crying,” Isaac said. “And he came into my room trying to hit me. My mum stood between me and him and he ended up punching her in the face.”
Isaac added: “He called himself a prophet. What prophet would hit their wife? … He was an evil human being.”
Charmain’s mother Linda also said she discovered bald patches on her daughter’s scalp, which Charmain later claimed her husband had pulled out.
‘I Have to Live the Rest of My Life Knowing My Mum Is Never Going to See What I Do’
Days before her death, a woman from Adusah’s church told UK police that Charmain had secretly obtained a second phone because Adusah had confiscated her main one. Charmain had reportedly discovered that Adusah used another name, lied about his age, and had another wife in Ghana.
That witness said she heard the couple arguing the night before Charmain was last seen alive, including the sound of banging on a table. Ghanaian police never saw that statement because UK authorities decided not to share it while Ghana retained the death penalty.
Adusah told the BBC the investigation has caused him “severe emotional distress” and that he “endured profound personal trauma” after losing his wife and child. He did not answer questions about the treatment of former partners.
Isaac, now an adult, is still searching for answers. “I have to live the rest of my life knowing that my mum is never going to see what I do in my life,” he said. “It really gets to me.”
The three-part BBC Disclosure documentary “Charmain and the Prophet” began airing on BBC Two on 13 April and is available on BBC iPlayer.
