PHOTO: Defendants Thomas Etheridge and Eric Susay
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- Shortly after the Justice In-Chambers of the Supreme Court Yamie Qui-qui Gbeisay ordered Defendant Thomas Etheridge to be turned over to the court, the Monrovia City Court Magistrate Ben L. Barco today, Monday sent to jail two of the alleged instigators of the fire at the Capitol Building.
Defendant Thomas Etheridge was turned over to the court with a writ of arrest, while Eric Susay was issued a police charge sheet due to opening up to the investigators on January 20, 2025, after the Supreme Court Justice ordered that Etheride be turned over to the court n an hour’s time.
Magistrate Barco’s action followed as a result of the Liberia National Police (LNP) forwarded Defendants Thomas Isaac Etheridge and Eric Susay to the Monrovia City Court for prosecution but was later remanded to the Monrovia Central Prison (South Beach).
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.
Etheridge was arrested on Friday, January 10, 2025, and taken to the Liberian National Police Headquarters for investigation in connection to the Capitol Building fire incident.
The matter escalated as the suspect fainted after a Writ of Arrest from the Monrovia City Court was issued against him immediately following the Judge Nuta’s ruling to have him seek medical attention in the care of his family.
Later, the suspect was held with his hands and feet by state security as he was taken away to hospital. Before he collapsed, it is reported that Ethridge told his lawyers, Cllrs. Elisha Forkeyoh and Jonathan Massaquoi, of how he was interrogated by security personnel during his 3-day detention.
Defendant Ethridge revealed multiple instances of alleged abuse, coercion, and fabrication as his statement sheds light on the troubling interrogation methods used to extract confessions that he claims were false and made under force. According to him, he was pressured to falsely admit his involvement in the Capitol Building Fire incident and other activities.
He said security personnel manipulated his statements by presenting recordings taken out of context. Ethridge:
“They made a statement that indicted me saying I called people to the Boss Man house from the CDC headquarters.” He said authorities linked him to the fire incident by associating him with others, including Eric Susee and Amos Kofa, who were supposedly involved in the protest.
“Then they said you were with Janga Kowo. You were calling Kowo and others to meet at your boss’ place. I told them that the people who you are calling I don’t know them, I only hear their names. I don’t go to CDC party headquarters.
Then, they brought in another guy’s statement. I have already stayed there from 11 am to 3 pm in the underground place.
They threatened to sodomize me if I do not give them what they want,” the suspect narrated. He refuted a statement where Eric Susee allegedly said he bought gas for the fire, a claim Eric later refuted, asserting that he was coerced into making the statement.
The suspect added that during his time in custody, security personnel used threats of violence and even physical abuse to coerce him into providing the answers they wanted; as such, after being subjected to physical abuse, he attempted to resist the fabricated narrative by providing his own version of events, which led to further beatings.
The fire incident occurred on December 18, 2024, when the Rotunda of the Joint Chambers of the Liberian Legislature gutted by fire.
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 Etheridge asked 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.