– Says he did not intend to take his life
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
The man, who is standing trial in Bomi County for allegedly killing young Liberian Journalist Tyron Browne on April 15, 2019 in the Duport Road suburb of Monrovia, has testified in court that he did not intend to kill anybody, but that he stabbed the deceased to scare away frome their premises.
Mr. Jonathan Williams showed remorse and expressed deep regrets for killing the
journalist when he took the stand Friday February 29, 2020.
He explained that when he encountered Browne standing by his car that night between 10:30-11:00 P.M., he firstly asked Brown as to the person he had come to see, but that Browne’s response was defiance.
Meanwhile, he said another occupant (Ernest Kermue) was sitting on top of the well as Browne stood by the car.
Jonathan explained that after he asked Kermue as to why the gate was still open, he said Kermue had told him that he had tried in vain to have Browne vacate the premises.
“He said ‘if you call yourself man, come put me outside’, after
asking times”, Williams continued.
He further testified that this led him to begin shoving Browne outside the
fence especially considering that it was late and that there had been two or
three incidents of armed robbery in the compound.
Before coming out of his room to confront Browne, Williams said one of his nieces
(Alice Youtee), had informed him about the presence of someone in the fence who
was knocking on their window.
Williams said though it is widely speculated that he was in a love affair with
both Edwina and Alice Youtee, the two are his nieces.
Defendant Williams narrated that after he stabbed the victim, he went to make
sure that the victim was not lying in the vicinity of the compound.
He explained that he came out with a knife based on the fact that the neighborhood is a crime plagued community.
Then he said he went down the road leading to the fence but did not find the late journalist, he said.
But while coming back up, Journalists Browne’s alleged murderer
disclosed, he saw Browne lying on the other side in a pool of blood, and
recognized it was the same person he had the confrontation with judging from
the clothes he wore.
It was at this time, Williams said, that one of his nieces, Edwina Youtee, also
recognized victim Brown, causing defendant Williams to tell them “we must take
him to hospital because he is hurt”.
By then, they were joined by one Ceasar Kennedy commonly known as Bill who had just come from work.
Asked by Williams as to whether he (Kennedy) knew the victim,
Caesar replied in the negative.
Defendant said Caesar was sent in his house to bring gloves and plastic in
which they placed the defendant and headed for the Kingdom Care Hospital.
But while on their way, Williams said Kennedy advised that if he took the victim to the hospital in that state, he (Williams) would be in big trouble.
At that point, he said, fear overtook him, causing him to dumped Browne on the roadside, apparently already dead, and went to former Police Inspector General, Chris Massaquoi to seek his advice, who told him to report the matter to the police.
Not knowing the channel to pass through to report the case at that juncture, he said he contacted his lawyer Cyril Jones who suggested that they meet at the police station and report the matter together.
While returning home to prepare himself to go to the police station, he said he was arrested on reaching by the police who were already awaiting him at the house.
The defendant’s two nieces are expected to testify Monday March 2, 2020 on his behalf.