–As Supreme Court of Liberia Decides Fate In Murder Case
IPNEWS: All eyes are set to today’s much anticipated verdict by the Supreme Court of Liberia, in the marathon murder trial involving former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott and three others.
Ahead of the ruling which determines whether or not prosecution met all requirements in keeping with law to convict former Chief Justice Gloria Scott and three others of murder, including the determination of whether or not the trial Judge met the fullest satisfaction of the law in alignment of evidences adduced to convict defendant Gloria Scott and others.
This anticipated ruling by the Supreme Court of Liberia, comes on the back of last month, July 16, 2024, oral arguments initiated by the Supreme court of both defense and prosecution lawyers to determine the merits and demerits into what was the bases of determination of guilty verdict against defendant Gloria Scott and others in an alleged murder that took place under mysterious circumstances at the home of Defendant Scott February 2023.
Prosecution insists Charloe Musu was allegedly killed at the former Chief Justice residence in the Brewerville suburb of Monrovia, a charged defendants Cllr. Scott and the three others have pleaded not guilty to the commission of the crime. The 29-year- graduating senior at Starz University College in Monrovia was said to have been stabbed nine time on various parts of her body leading to her demise.
Former Chief Justice Scott and her three-family member–Rebecca Youdeh Wisner, Gertrude Newton and Alice Johnson– were on December 21,2023 convicted on charges of murder, Criminal conspiracy and making false statements to Law Enforcement officers.
The defense team, representing former Chief Justice Scott and her co-defendants, argued that critical errors occurred during the trial, which they claim resulted in an unfair process. One of their primary concerns was the alleged denial of twelve peremptory challenges, which are typically used by the defense to exclude potential jurors without providing a reason. The defense contended that the limitation on these challenges was a significant procedural flaw that may have affected the impartiality of the jury.
Additionally, the defense argued that the trial judge made several reversible errors that deprived the defendants of their constitutional rights. These alleged errors, according to the defense, included improper jury instructions and the exclusion of key evidence that could have bolstered the defense’s case.
On the other hand, the prosecution maintained that the defendants were afforded due process throughout the trial. They countered the defense’s claims by stating that the trial court conducted a fair and impartial process, including a thorough investigation into allegations of jury tampering. The prosecution argued that the evidence presented was sufficient to support a conviction and that the trial judge acted within the bounds of the law.
The Supreme Court’s ruling on today Wednesday, August 28, 2024, is pivotal to the transparency of the Judiciary, especially as members of the full bench of Supreme Court parades one of its own as fundamental to its legal precedents for future criminal trials in Liberia.
Upheld or not, Liberia awaits the final outcomes as a major test to Liberia’s Supreme Court principles of justice, due process, and the rule of law.
At an oral hearing last month July 2024, the courtroom was jammed packed with members of the public, human rights organizations, magistrates from some magisterial courts, lawyers and also citizen journalists who were either to post what they observed in various manners.
Noticeable among the crowd were former Liberia Chief Justice Francis S. Korkpor, Mo Ali of the Unity Party, Senator Abraham Darius Dillon of Montserrado County, Senator Gbleh-bo Brown of Maryland County where the former Chief Justice hailed from, Judge Mardea Chenoweth of the 13th Judicial Circuit Court of Margibi County, Liberian National Bar Association President Sylvester Rennie, former Maryland county Senator John Ballout.
During the arguments, defense lawyers drew their theme from a book written by Liberian writer, Dr. Wilton Sankawulo titled, “It could be You too” that someone might like to put you in trouble.
Prosecution on the other hand charged the jurors to hold the defendants guilty of the crime charged because Armed robber will not enter in a home and only attacked and killed one person.
Closing Arguments in Charloe Musu’s Murder Trial Set for Thursday December 21,2023, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and lawyers for former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott, Rebecca Youdeh, Alice Johnson and Gertrude Newton made their closing arguments, bringing months of often-explosive testimony to an end, leaving the jurors to decide whether the defendants murder Charloe Musu.
The state indicated Cllr. Scott had her co-defendants for allegedly murdering Charloe Musu on the night of February 22,2023 in the homes of Cllr Scott, which they were charged with murder, criminal conspiracy and making false alarm to law enforcement officers.
The trial jurors questioned Cllr Scott and her co-defendants’ involvement with the attacked at her residence that caused the death of Charloe Musu, with Scott testifying they have no knowledge of the crime.
Background
The former Chief Justice said that it was an intruder that attacked her home with the intend to kill her and unfortunately, it was her daughter that was murdered. Scott, for her part, downplayed the accusations that she murdered her daughter, but argued that it was an intruder, who may have conspired with someone who has accessed to her home, to enter into her residence, with the intention to kill her.
Several other persons to include Cllr Jerome Verdier, the former chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) accused the Monrovia City Major Jefferson Koijee of masterminding the attacked and murder of Charloe Musu through his operative and chief of patrol Varlee Telleh.
Cllr. Scott’s defense relied on the arguments that it was a male intruder who attacked the home and murder her daughter. In addition to substantive testimony about the alleged murder, the trial was also dominated by controversy over witnesses and pathologists, as Scott frequently attended the trial seated in the prison Dock, and accused the sta6e of falsely incriminating her to the murder.
Her testimony was supported by that of a pathologist Matthau Okoye, who said, the DNA samples obtained from the fingernails of Charloe Musu proved that it was that of a male and not a female as claimed by the prosecutors. in response, the government pathologist Benedict Kolee disqualified the Okoyer’s scientific findings, and had repeatedly argued that it was female who committed the murder.
The closing arguments in the trial took place today, Thursday December 21,2023 Once they’re over, Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie will instruct the jury to issue a verdict in the case, as the trial is a jury trial ‘meaning the jury will deliver the fact of the evidence before the verdict and the judge will decide the outcome.
Judge Willie will likely levy punishments against Cllr Scott and her co-defendants If the jury decides in favor of the state, with the prosecutors asking for a lengthy sentence. On the other hand, they are expected to similarly appeal any verdict the jury and judge may issue against them.
if the jury decides in her favor, she and her co-defendants will walk out of prison, because the state by the law cannot take an appeal against the jury verdict to the Supreme Court. The trial also included evidence showing how Charloe Musu was stabbed multiple times to death.
Monrovia City Major Jefferson Koijee and his co-subpeona persons to include Varlee Telleh, the GSM company, Telleh’s wife, Moses Wright, the private security assigned to Cllr Scott’s house before the murder and the police inspector General Patrick Sudue all testified to the case.
The defendants were represented by Former Associate Justice Kabineh J’aneh, Cllr. Jimmy S. Bombo, Cllr. Murphy Kanneh, Cllr. Cole Bengalu, Cllr. Findley Y. Kangar, Cllr. Dr. Mohammed Sheriff, Cllr. Amara Sheriff, Cllr. Augustine Fayiah, Atty. Dickson Tamba, Cllr. Richard Scott, Cllr. Kuku Dorbor, Atty Gbine Taylor Kelly of the Female lawyers Association of Liberia (AFELL), Atty. Facia Harris among others.
While the state was represented by Montserrado County Alhaji Swahilo Sesay, Cllr. Adolphus J. Kanuah, Cllr. Kutu Sumo Aquoi, Rudolph D.M.O. Johnson, Cllr. Bobby Livingstone among others.
Continuation of the final argument
One of defense lawyers, Cllr. Richard Scott said that the cutlass brought in as evidence by prosecution in which claimed was used to cut the steal from the window bar, has no bending mark on it but rather its new which the defense said it’s a blatant lie against the defendants meant to gain favor from the jurors.
In a heated argument, Cllr. Scott argued that prosecution didn’t proof their case beyond reasonable doubt because they didn’t carry the murder weapon in court to be shown to the jurors but rather they did. imagination.
Cllr. Scott added that prosecution witness and pathologist of Liberia Dr. Benedict Kolee instead of bringing scientific proof of his socalled DNA test report, he went ahead to be political as if he’s involved with the case.“Prosecution witness Dr. Kolee contradicted himself both during the general and rebuttal in a DNA report in which he said his DNA test report showed females instead of mixed DNA test but he Kolee claimed that it was minor issue but the foreign pathologist Dr. Mathias I. Okoye DNA analysis findings showed that a male DNA profile was found in the fingernail of the deceased Charloe Musu” Cllr. Scott explained.
The defense lawyers further questioned the jury who will invest in a child at age three up to 29 years and send to her to private university (Starz University of Technology) upon graduation and killed her?
Defense prayed court and jury to hand down a verdict of not guilty and set the defendants free of the crime alleged.
While state prosecution argued that defendants should be held guilty of the crimes based on circumstantial evidence and more besides they proof their case beyond reasonable doubt.
Prosecution Prayed court to take judicial notice of their legal memorandum in charging the jurors with the relevant laws cited.
They killed; the prosecution lawyer told the jurors.
