PHOTO: Convict Henry Tucker
By Gaarmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Liberia- In the weird goat theft story which linked a local Journalists shot and killed in 2020, the man who did the shooting has been sentenced to three years in prison, after his indictment was downgraded to manslaughter and pleading guilty during many months of trial.
The Judge of the 9th Judicial Circuit Court here in the central Bong County, Boimah Kontoe today, Thursday, April 14, 2022 ruled in the case, sentencing defendant Henry M. Tucker of Tucker to three year’s imprisonment, but he was placed on probation at the C.B. Dunbar hospital.
Convict Tucker will be rendering community service at the C.B. Dunbar Hospital in Gbarnga four hours daily.
He allegedly gunned down and killed a local broadcast Journalist, Chris David with a single barrel weapon for allegedly stealing a goat in 2020. The late Christ David Brown was an announcer at the Catholic-run Radio Paraclete in Gbarnga.
Defendant Tucker was initially indicted for the crime of murder but due to the nature of the case, his indictment was amended to manslaughter ground that he was provoke by the alleged goat rogue journalist and his conspirator Prince Garlawulo.
Prince Garlawulo was initially on the run for the crime of armed robbery when he journalist Chris David Brown was involved into this incident.
Under the probation mandate of the court, convict Tucker is expected to be working for four hours each day at the Gbarnga hospital until his three years expired, but he will be monitored by the probation office at the Ministry of Justice.
The probation decision was as the result of the pre-sentence investigation conducted by the probation office at the Ministry of Justice, which suggests that defendant has no prior criminal record and has a good character.
Meanwhile, the County Attorney of Bong County Jonathan Flomo has taken exception to the ruling of the court and promised to take advantage of the statute controlling.
The defendant was consistently being represented by the office of the Public defense headed by Cllr. Mohammed Golafallay.
Background
The defendant was indicted during the November A.D. 2020 term of court.
Defendant Tucker, who has spent over one year in prison, pleaded guilty in open court after his amended indictment was read to him.
His manslaughter indictment was done through a pre-bargaining on March 8,2022 by
state prosecutor headed by Bong County Attorney Jonathan Flomo and affirmed by public defender Cllr. Mohammeh Golafalley
According to the Public defender of Bong County, Cllr. Golafalley, there was no sufficient evidence of murder against defendant Tucker.
Public defender Golafalley added that all the elements of murder were lacking to hold the defendant for murder.
Murder constitutes malice, intent, pre-meditation and in difference to human life and all of these elements were lacking to hold the defendant for the crime of murder.
Cllr. Golafalley informed this news outlet that his client Tucker did the shooting in self-defense, when the journalist and his co-conspirator Prince Garlawolu rushed on him with a black Baja motorbike to hit him after stealing his goat from his farm.
After the shooting, the purported journalist didn’t die on the scene but they continued their journey when his lifeless body was discovered in a nearby creek on the Lofa road in Gbarnga, Bong County.
Based upon the above mentioned reasons, both the County Attorney Jonathan Flomo and public defender Mohammeh Golafalley entered into a pre-bargaining on ground that he used excessive force by shooting the victim from the back.
The maximum sentence for manslaughter is five years but the defendant has spent one year in prison.