FLASHBACK: Former Chief Justice Gloria Scott being escorted from the Court at the early stage of the trial
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- State lawyers’ witnesses brought to testify in the ongoing murder case involving the former Chief Justice have contradicted some accounts in the indictment, as Garmah Never Lomo reports.
The ongoing murder case involves the former Chief Justice, Cllr Gloria Musu-Scott and three other individuals in criminal court “A” at the Temple of Justice who are being accused of murder, criminal conspiracy and raising false alarm.
Last week, the Justice in Chamber at the Supreme Court of Liberia, Associate Jamestta Howard-Wolokolie paused the well-publicized murder trial in Criminal Court ‘A’, where former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott and three others are facing multiple criminal charges. Supreme Court Justice In Chamber Puts Cllr. Gloria Scott Murder Case On Pause – News Public Trust
On February 23, police quoted Justice Scott as saying she had observed a strange man during the day, and believed he attacked her family at night and killed one of her daughters when he was tackled and pepper sprayed.
In an interview on March 3, 2023, the former Chief Justice also stated that there was someone in her home who shouldn’t have been there, following her visit at the LNP headquarters. But, in the indictment, several individuals gave a rather different view to her claims. The indictment drawn placed madam Scott and three of her family members at the fulcrum of the murder.
Taking the witness stand on Tuesday, September 13, state prosecutors two witnesses Moses Wright- a security guard assigned at the Genesis Security Guard Services and Business man Eric Obumawu gave their accounts of the event, and confirmed co-defendant Scott’s statement that there were unidentified individuals in her home, the night her daughter Charloe Musu was murdered.
Moses Wright, in the indictment, is the boss of Zion Tarr, prosecution’s first witness.
Wright, in the open court, stated that he encountered two individuals whom he had never seen before. First, according to him, he encountered a person dressed in mechanic clothes that he handed the car keys of co-defendant Scott to take Charloe to the hospital.
In response to a question, Moses responded, ” he was in mechanic clothes, so I trusted him to drive because she looked like a mechanic.”
Moreover, when asked by Judge Willie, the witness said he knew all the occupants in the former Chief Justice home, and the individual was strange.
His testimonies in the ongoing case contradict the indictment, which has placed the defendants behind bars for murder. In the indictment, it was established that one of the community members, in person of Amara S. Tarwuleh, who had entered the house, a friend identified as OG Prof, was the one who asked co-defendant Scott for her car keys and later gave it to another identified as Mulbah. By then, they were still in the lock house with the defendants and the victim.
On September 13, 2023, when the state prosecutors second witness was questioned, he also indicated that another strange person had brought the late Charloe Musu out to be taken to the hospital, following the incident.
Giving several accounts of his employment with the Genesis Security Guard Services, prosecution second witness said, he was hired on February 5, 14 and 25 at the home of the former chief Justice. Adding, he had no knowledge of the prior incident of February 8 and 9th.
He also noted that while Zion Tarr- prosecution first witness was breaking the window bar, he did not hear any noise but later went to the window and was given the house keys- a statement he later changed during cross examination.
He noted, “i remained under the palava hut throughout, until I saw strange individuals in the compound.”
Similar to Zion Tarr, testified on September 4, that on the night of February 22, 2023, he did not enter the house where the defendants were seeking help but rather remained at his duty post and observed the scene; after breaking the window bar with a cutlass, upon the instruction of the defendant Gertrude Newton.
However, in the indictment, witness Tarr told police investigators that upon breaking the window bar, he assisted three of the defendants in person of Gertrude Newton, Alice Johnson and Rebecca Youdeh to get out but when asked in open court Zion Tarr a Security guard assigned at the Genesis Security Guard Services said, he returned to his duty post after breaking the window bar and stayed there. During the investigation, he informed police that he remained posted at the window until neighbours began to enter.
But, unlike Tarr, who admitted hearing one of the defendants’ Gertrude Nuton saying “armed robbers had entered on us” while crying for help, said he did not hear any noise.
Recounting his memories of the night, prosecution third witness Eric Obumawu said, he arrived at the defendants’ home between 9:30 pm- 10pm based on what he termed as usual loud screams from the compound of the defendants, crying for help.
On his account, Obumawu, a businessman and neighbour to the defendants, said, upon his arrival at the house, the gate was locked; thus preventing him from entering the compound. He said after knocking, a person who he believed was one of the securities told him the keys were not available. He then proceeded to use a ladder to get over. According to him, the ladder couldn’t reach the height of the fence, and he was unable to jump as others did, as stated in the indictment.
He furthered that after returning the ladder, he noticed the gate had been opened, giving access to enter the compound. After entering, he saw the damaged window and decided to get through. Witness Obumawu said that when he entered the house, he noticed blood stains on the floor and was taken aback by the smell of pepper spray, as early as stated by Cllr Scott on several occasion.
Unlike police findings, witness Obumawu noted that, he met others who had used the same window that was damaged by Zion and according to him, he noticed the house closed but the keys was later found and given by co-defendant Scott. He furthered that there were no other individuals hurt as acclaimed that the 17-year- old was badly injured.
The ongoing trial involves the former Chief Justice of Liberia Gloria Musu-Scott and three others, who are being tried for murdering Charloe Musu, giving false statements to law to officials and criminal conspiracy.
Meanwhile, Judge Roosevelt Willie of the Criminal Court “A” has scheduled the next hearing for Friday, September 15, where another witness is expected to take the stand.