FLASHBACK: Capitol Building on fire in December 2024
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTIC, Monrovia- Criminal Court ‘A’ at the Temple of Justice presided by its resident judge Roosevelt Z. Willie has approved a property bond valued at US$500,000 for six defendants from pre-trial detention at the Monrovia Central Prison, as other suspects are said to still be at large.
Those released are Thomas Etheridge, Eric Susay, Christian Kofa, John Nyanti, Stephen Broh and Gabriel Fansieh.
Court record reads: “Know and all Men by these presents that we the sureties Randolph J. Cole, Refina J. Cole by and thru our property deed truly registered probated and all taxes paid up to date January 1,2025 to December 31,2025 and applied revenue text receipt renewal see attached copies of Liberia Revenue Authority flag receipts(LRA) have this property valuation bond served as surety for the defendants Thomas Etheridge, Eric Susay, John Nyanti, Stephen Broh and Gabriel Fansieh in this instant case.”
It further states that, Now therefore, we the sureties Randolph J. Cole and Refina J. Cole, owner of said deed and a two stairs way building thereon, duly registered, probated and authorized by law to be surety bond, do hereby offer our property and deed representative assign and successors interest jointly and severally unto the defendants in the amount of US$ 500,000.00(Five Hundred thousand United States Dollars) and on behalf of the defendants to appear on the six day of August A.D. 2025 of 1pm for the hearing of said case to include all others succeeding hearings until said matter is fully adjudicated and that the within defendants are hereby acquitted or guilty.
In witness thereof, we Randolph J. Cole and Refina J.Cole by and thru our Attorney in fact, Mr. Patrick B. Coleman and the property deed value the amount of US$6,000,000 (Six Million United States dollars), we have set our hands and affixed our signatures.
On January 20, 2025, Thomas Etheridge and few others were remanded to the Monrovia Central Prison pending trial.
The defendants were charged with multiple charges ranging from Arson, Release of Destructive Forces, Reckless Burning or Exploding, Criminal Mischief, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Criminal Attempt To Commit Murder, Aggravated Assault, Criminal Conspiracy, Criminal Facilitation and Criminal Solicitation.
Those who are at-large are to include Amos Kofa, Stephen Broh, John Nyanti, Grace Johnson and others to be identified. After thorough investigation of the facts, police reference Defendant Susay involvement into the physical attack and stealing of victim Sgt. Amara Bility weapon including his involvement into the Arson attack on the Capitol Building on Wednesday, December 18, 2024.
Police investigation alleged that the fire on the capitol building was an act of arson committed as the result of a conspiracy consummated by defendants Thomas, Eric, Amos Koffa, Stephen Broh, John Nyanti, Grace Johnson and others who had gone into hiding.
According to the investigation, the fire started between 6-6:45 am, on December 18, 2024, for which the fire completely burnt the Joint Chamber, fourth floor and the dome and all of the properties of the building.
The damaged of the property based on the arson attack according to police report is estimated at over eight million six hundred seventy-one thousand six hundred fifty-three point sixty cents (USD 8,672,653.60).
The investigation discovered that the Chloride bottle found on the scene contained the smell of gasoline and that which conformed byu the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS) and the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company (LPRC) analysis reports respectively.
As for the rest at-large, according to the investigation maliciously and physically assaulted victim Sgt. Amara Bility of the Police Support Unit helpless and unconscious, criminally took away his assigned beretta 9mm pistol (gun), bearing serial N40-2290.
For the other defendants to include Amos Koffa, Stephen Broh, Grace Johnson and others who are at-large also, physically executed the arson at the capitol building.
In the police charge sheet, Defendants Susay in the Capital Building arson attack admitted to the burning of the Capital Building on December 18, 2024. Defendant Susay said:
“I left the CDC Party headquarters on Tuesday December 17, 2024, and met defendants Thomas Isaac Etheridge commonly, called Tom, at Honorable Jonathan Fonati Kofa house and Thomas Etheridge asked that we should met at PHP Park to discuss the burning of the Capitol building” because he Etheridge feels that was the only solution to end the fight between the lawmakers.
In furtherance defendants Eric Susay claimed that they were three namely, Thomas Isaac Etheridge and one the maintenance men whose name he does not know and they planned to use gasoline on all areas in the joint Chamber that had wooden curtain windows.
Defendant Susay also revealed that they were to start the fire at mid-night and as such; they left the PHP Park at 10pm on board a white vehicle owned by Thomas Etheridge and went back to Honorable Kofa residence.
He alleged that while enroute from the park, he saw a big size chlora bottle with gasoline at the back seat of the car. In continuation, Defendant Susay asserted that at about 11pm, the same day, they left Hon. Kofa residence in the same vehicle, headed for the Capitol Building but while on their way, Thomas Etheridgeasked that he stop at Vamoma because Etheridge believes that he Susay always in conflict with the police and his presence at the Capitol Building on the operation would raise alarm.
Defendant Susay again intimated that Thomas Etheridge told him to keep his cellphone on that he would call him if anything as he Etheridge had men at the Capitol Building that would help him carry out operation, but Etheridge did not call nor text him until the joint chamber of the Capitol Building caught fire and burned.
Susay averred that on January 4, 2025, at about 2pm, Etheridge and him met at Hon. Kofa residence where Etheridge informed him that some police and NSA officers went to his house in search of him sleeping with Grace and Patience, employee in Hon. Kofa office. Defendant Susay concluded that some friends advised Etheridge to seek refuge to any nearby country.
Recently, the Justice in-Chambers cited both prosecuting attorneys and Thomas’ lawyers following a request for a Writ of Prohibition filed by Montserrado County lead prosecutor, Cllr. Richard Scott, seeking the Chambers Justice to halt the release of the alleged arson suspect by Judge Koiboi Nuta of Criminal Court “B” at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia.
The directive of the Chambers Justice said: “By directive of His Honor Yamie Qui-qui Gbeisay, Sr, Associate Justice presiding in Chambers, you are hereby cited to a conference with His Honor on Monday, January 20, 2025, at the hour of 10:00 am, in connection with the above captioned case.”
It can be recalled that state prosecutors were seeking the Chambers Justice to overturn Judge Nuta’s ruling in the Habeas Corpus petition which saw defendant Etheridge being released to his guarantors. Cllr. Scott through the Ministry of Justice took Criminal Court “B” Judge to the Chambers Justice seeking to stop him from allowing the alleged Suspect in the Capitol Building fire incident from going to hospital by himself with his relatives because they cannot be trusted.
The Habeas Corpus petition filed by Thomas’ lawyers Cllrs. Elisha Forkeyoh and Jonathan Massaquoi came after the suspect was being held in detention for three days.
But Judge Nuta’s ruling in the Habeas Corpus case on Monday, January 13, released Thomas to his sureties to enable him to seek medical attention and return him to the court.
But the state petition before Chambers Justice Gbeisay argued that Judge Nuta’s ruling went beyond the scope of the case before him. Suspect Etheridge is said to be a staff member of the embattled House Speaker Fonati Koffa.