PHOTO: Late German national Juergen Schedema
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
KAKATA, Liberia– In order to prove their case against the defendants beyond all reasonable doubt, three of the state witnesses have testified in the ongoing murder trial of a German national, who was killed by some alleged armed robbers in big town Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County.
The killing happened in Grand Bassa County last January and the case initially started at the Circuit Court in Bassa.
The late Juergen Schedema, Manager of the International Consultant Company (ICC), was discovered dead early Wednesday morning, January 22, 2020 at the back of the log yard, which is located in Big Joe Town – more than a mile away from the port city of Buchanan, some 88 miles from Liberia’s capital, Monrovia.
The first state witness began testifying on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 at the circuit court in Kakata, Margibi County, but didn’t end his testimony when the trial was postponed to Wednesday December 15, 2021.
State prosecutors first witness was Moses Josiah whose livelihood is construction and Diamond mining.
Taking the witness stand, Moses Josiah testified in open court that he has been knowing defendants Emmanuel Kollie alias Porleh from childhood and Joseph Cole, alias Joe cole for little over four years.
According to him, on the 23 of January 2020, co-defendant Emmanuel Kollie told him that he came from Gbarnga, Bong County but never knew he came from Buchanan, Grand Bassa where the alleged killing of the German national took place.
Moses Josiah a childhood friend to Emmanuel Kollie.
Mr. Josiah testified that on the 23 of January 2020, co-defendant Emmanuel Kollie was seen with an iPhone at a Fula shop owned by one Alpha and he gave the iPhone to he (Alpha )to buy if from him before he Josiah got the news that his Peking defendant Emmanuel Kollie was at a Fula shop with plenty money including an iPhone looking for people to play gamble with.
“It was how I took the phone from Emmanuel Kollie but later Emmanuel Kollie kept troubling me with calls but ignored his numerous calls because he wanted to go play gamble,” Josiah explained in court while on direct examination.
During his testimony in chief, Mr. Josiah said that Emmanuel Kollie and the Fula man, Alpha got into his (Emmanuel Kollie’s brother’s car and acted like they were heading to Gbarnga, Bong County.
But they were instead heading to Montserrado County and stopped at Morris’s Farm across the bridge and began gambling. At that time, half of Emmanuel Kollie’s money was gone through gambling. “And he called me to bring him additional money which I carried L$1,500 to him on his gambling board.”
Witness Josiah testified that this who were playing the gamble along with defendant Emmanuel Kollie were angry upon his arrival at the gambling scene, because his presence won’t make them get more money.
He said since he was close to Emmanuel Kollie,, he said he was called by the Bong County Police commander and asked as to whether he had seen Emmanuel Kollie and he said yes. He was further asked by the police commander whether he saw strange materials with him and he also said yes. Then he was told to take the phone to the Margibi County Police Commissione,r something he did, when the German man’s photo was seen on the phone, the same of photo of the murdered German national in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
The witness identified the retrieved iphone from Emmanuel Kollie in court, when asked whether when he see the iPhone he can identify it.
While on the direct examination, he admitted that he and Emmanuel Kollie are in the same habit of gambling. Therefore, Emmanuel Kollie usually porn items to him and also admitted that Emmanuel Kollie has been having criminal record.
The witness was cross examined by the defense lawyers and discharged by court.
Saah P. Ellie a security personnel assigned at the VIP gate at ICC logging company in Big Joe Town, Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County.
The second state witness, Saah P. Ellie is a security personnel who worked with a security firm JAC security and assigned at the VIP gate at the International Consultant Capital (ICC) logging company and has worked for little over two years.
The witness said that on January 21-22, 2020 at about 1-2am or thereabout, he was assigned at the his usual VIP gate at big Joe logging company in the port city of Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
According to witness Ellie, at 1:30am, they were three placed under gun point but one of security officers managed to escaped when he and Anthony Barclay was held by their shirts to show the manager office and they were told to lie down on the ground, something they did.
During his testimony in chief, Mr. Ellie testified that his colleague Anthony Barclay was severely kicked in his mouth by one of the robbers and he was hospitalized for a week at the Liberian government hospital in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County.
When the robbers entered the company’s facility, the armed robbers placed them under gun point and began demanding for money and phones, while beating on the German nation and manager, Juergen Schedemann, while, they were still lying down on the ground.
As they were shouting, the alleged armed robbers were opening fire one of their senior managers where they were forcibly placed in and they locked the door on them, Mr. Ellie added.
Prior to that, the alleged armed robbers fired at the light bulb where the managers of the company are residing, but he said he recognized one of the accused who was tall, light in complexion and was wearing short trouser with mountain climber shoes, but said he couldn’t recognize the person by face, because they were all wearing masks.
During his testimony, witness Ellie was able to identify the black iPhone retrieved by the police with an Indian national, who is the quality control manager of ICC photo on the phone.
Mr. Ellie also testified in court that the deceased, Juergen Schedemann’s body was found outside the company near an outside bathroom lying in a pool of blood with bullet wounds in his stomach and under his two arms. His body was discovered after a thorough search was made. And he could also recognize the deceased photo given to him in court to identify.
Ellie also testified that after the incident, they were taken to the police station to make statements at the police station.
The witness was cross examined by the defense lawyers and discharged by court.
The third state witness, Anthony Barclay took the stand on the direct and testified that he been living in New Buchanan for about six years and that he is also a security personnel from the JAC security firm and assigned at the entrance of the ICC logging company gate in big Joe town, Buchanan City.
According to Mr. Barclay, he has been in the employ of the ICC logging company for two years and when he was on duty at about 1am, they saw four persons standing at the VIP gate and they asked who were those standing?
Anthony Barclay a security personnel assigned at the ICC logging company in big Joe town.
But those who were standing didn’t answer them and they had to walk to them. And upon reaching them, the alleged armed robbers were standing
near the containers used as dwelling place for managers of the ICC logging company. Then they dropped their gun, enabling them to apprehend them.
Mr. Barclay further testified that were forcibly taken upstairs by the armed robbers to show their manager room but he told the robbers that since he got employed with the ICC logging company, he has never entered upstairs and he didn’t know the manager’s room.
But the armed robbers told him that he was lying to them adding that one of the armed robbers was standing behind him who kicked him in his mouth. And he was severely bleeding from the mouth, a statement which was corroborated by Mr. Ellie statement.
After he was severely hit in mouth, he yield and in that moment, he saw the saw mail manager opened his door where they and the armed robbers entered inside and they started checking everywhere for money but they couldn’t see anything so they came outside and locked them in and they continued their yielding.
The witness also testified that he recognized a tall man with bright complexion wearing short trouser but they all were wearing masks so he couldn’t recognize them by face.
Mr. Barclay also told court that he didn’t see the deceased body because he was in severe pain but he was later taken to hospital for treatment and they were called by the police for questioning, where he made statement orally and written by one of the investigators.
The witness was cross examined by the defense lawyers and discharged by court.
Meanwhile, production of witnesses will continue to take the stand on Thursday and Friday, December 16&17,2021 at the 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Kakata..