The man found dead inside a garbage bag in Brooklyn last week was a “devout” churchgoer from Ghana who played gospel music on the piano, neighbors said.
Joseph Owusu, 24, was found dead in a trash bag at about 9:20 a.m. Oct. 30 outside a church near East 93rd Street and Avenue L in Canarsie, according to Ghana’s embassy.
Video obtained by News 12 shows one person removing the large black bag containing Owusu’s body from the trunk of a white sedan while another occupant stood nearby. The pair then left the bag on the sidewalk.
Owusu lived in the Bronx’s Olinville neighborhood, where residents remembered him as a charming and kindhearted man who regularly attended church in the borough.
“He could walk into a room and light up a room,” said neighbor Derrick Jackson, 55.
“I saw him the day before, just here in the hallway,” Jackson, a former paramedic, said. “It was just regular, ‘Hey, what’s going on? All right, have a blessed day.’ That’s it.”
Owusu worked as a caregiver for people with disabilities and served as a chorister at his local Methodist church, according to the embassy.
“He is remembered by the family as a beloved son and brother, and his tragic loss has left his family and community devastated,” the diplomatic mission said in a Facebook post.
Jackson said Owusu was often seen playing gospel songs on his keyboard in the building’s hallway.
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“He was always working, doing something productive,” Jackson said. “He wasn’t hanging out on the streets. I just hope he gets justice.”
Jackson struggled to find words when asked what might have led to Owusu’s death.
“That was pure evil,” Jackson said. “Something needs to be done. It could be my own child.”
Tatiana Fields, who has lived in the apartment building for 10 years and grew up with the Owusu family, described him as exceptionally well-mannered.
“His whole family, they were into church, so they went to church every Sunday,” Fields said. “They would dress up real nice in their suits and their dresses. He was a very quiet kid, a good kid — well, not a kid, he’s an adult. But, you know, for the most part, a good person.”
“Mom worked, brother, all of them pretty much work,” she added. “They’re not like a troublesome family.”
Owusu’s body was discovered after a homeless man searching for scrap metal found the black bag and dragged it down the block before opening it, law enforcement sources said at the time.
The bag also contained wires and pieces of scrap metal, along with the unidentified man’s body, the sources said.
Owusu’s cause of death remained under investigation Friday, police said.