PHOTO: Two of the defendants in the case
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
KAKATA, Liberia- Defendants in the ongoing German national murder trial have begun testifying regarding the alleged killing of the German national, Juergen Schedema during an armed robbery attack.
Their testimony in court began on December 22, 2021 as a result of the killing which occurred on January 22, 2020 at the International Capital Consultant logging compound in Big Joe Town Grand Bassa County.
On December 22,2021, defense first witness, Joseph Cole, alias Joe Cole took the witness stand and testified he lived in cotton tree and live on selling of gasoline and fuel and he is a graduate of the Firestone Liberia senior high school in 2009.
Contrary to what one of the prosecutor witnesses, Police Crime Services Division head, James Kartoe said that defendant could write “small-small”, the defendant on the witness stand instead wrote a complaint as evidence that he is lettered. And said complaint was read in court and later admitted to evidence.
Defendant Joseph Cole also said he is not a rogue and he has never been. And concerning the armed robbery and murder incident in Buchanan, he said he knew nothing about it.
He explained that on January 22, 2021, during the morning hours, he was in the Cotton Tree area selling gasoline and fuel. And during the afternoon hours, he and his friend ,Fayiah Johnny left cotton tree and came to Monrovia to watch the final County meet game between Lofa and Grand Kru counties, defendant Cole narrated.
After the game ended at 10pm, they both departed for cotton tree where Fayiah Johnny brought food outside for them eat, after which both of them went to bed to their separate homes and he continues his selling the following day.
“When I was arrested on January 25, 2020, in cotton tree and taken to Buchanan police station, he was denied his Miranda or constitutional rights, which includes right to lawyer, to remain silent, to phone call among other things,” defendant Cole testified.
“I never made any voluntary statement as testified by the police investigator James Kartoe .“
“After my refusal to make statement, I was beaten by one of the police officers forcing me to admit to the crime and he even stubbed me in my right arm but he maintained that he doesn’t know about the crime but yet police stripped him nacky and hurt me in my eyes which caused my eyes to bleed,” Cole further explained.
“I forced to sign their statement they wrote because I was in pain and he also denied of being involved with two previous armed robberies as it was testified by state prosecutor witness Frederick Nepay.”
He said that (Joe Cole) has been on wanted list by the Liberia national police for two separate armed robberies activities at the Lee group of companies and Junglejean gold mining camp in Lower Bong County.
Defendant Joseph Cole was cross examined by state prosecutors and later discharged by court.
Second witness corroborated Cole’s testimony
Defense second witness, Fayiah Johnny who testified in favour of Joseph Cole, said that he has been knowing defendant Cole since 2010 and the defendant is a good gentleman who has no prior criminal record, since both of have been living and selling gasoline and fuel together.
The defense second witness’ statement corroborated with co-defendant Joe Cole that both of them came to watch the County Meet final between Lofa and Grand Kru counties on January 22, 2020.
Witness Johnny was cross examined by state lawyers and after which he was discharged by court.
Public Defender takes stand
Defense third witness was Grand Bassa County Public Defender, Atty. Aaron Kartee. He took the witness stand on Monday December 27, 2021, explaining that at every stage of the investigation, the defendants Emmanuel Kollie, alias Porleh and Joseph Cole were represented by a lawyer. But Atty. Kartee only represented the defendants at the second Judicial Circuit Court when they were indicted by the state.
Contrary to what state witness James Kartoe said during his testimony that the public defenders were called to be part of the investigation, Atty. Kartee revealed that said statement from Mr. Kartoe is false and misleading. More besides, his colleague, Paul Jarven had resigned his position as public defender since 2019 and the incident occurred 2020, when the suspects now defendants were taken back and forth from Monrovia to Buchanan.
Atty. Kartee said when the suspects were arrested, the police station was very tense to the extent that the anti-robbery unit of the Liberia national police was guiding the police station, after citizens trooped to the police station to see the alleged suspects who killed the German national.
The defense witness testified that the physical condition of the defendants, especially Emmanuel Kollie, alias “Porleh” had several wounds on his back while Joe Cole has blood strain in eyes.
Atty. Kartee was cross examined by state prosecutor and later discharged by court.
Fourth defense pleads not guilty
Defense fourth witness Emmanuel Kollie testified on Monday December 27,2021, telling the court that he has been a motorbike rider since 2017.
Defendant Emmanuel Kollie explained in court that on January 23,2021, he was in bed about 6am in Gbarnga, Bong County and on January 22,2020, he was on traffic in Gbarnga until 8pm.
According to defendant Kollie, on January 26, 2020 while he and wife were still in bed at about 6am, he heard a Police vehicle behind outside his house window driving rough. But when he drew his curtain, he saw many armed officers jumping out of the car and some of the officers went at the back and front of his house and began bursting the door, forcibly opening it. He said they entered on him and his wife, who was taken behind the house where the pickup was parked. And he (defendant Kollie) was handcuffed and the officer began searching his room.
Defendant Kollie claimed that it was during the search that the police officers found the single barrel pistol gun with rounds. Then they put all their belongings in the pickup along with he and wife and were taken to the police station.
He claimed that his Tecno and Samsung phones were taken from them by the police.
“I didn’t make any any voluntary statement neither did I admit committing the crimes as it was stated by the police investigators,” defendant Kollie told the court.
During his investigation, it was when he saw the iPhone, which police said it was found with him during his arrest but he testified that it was at the police station in Grand Bassa County when he saw the phone. But he told them he never knew anything about the phone neither he knows where the phone came from.
During his testimony in chief, defendant Kollie said when he denied knowing about the single barrel shot gun and rounds of ammunition, it was how the police began beating on him to confess. And being that he still maintained his ground of not knowing anything about the armed robbery incident at the ICC compound but his beating was intensified by officers of the LNP and he was being handcuffed to the last button to confess, the murder suspect explained.
Defendant Kollie furthered testified that after his beating, he was taken to Monrovia junction by officers of the LNP with loud speaker in the vehicle announcing that they have caught the alleged killer of the German national and crowd came around began stoning him in the pickup where he got hurt on his lip and head.
“I was forced to signed on the statement written by police because they were severely beating me and held my finger to sign but I kept hauling my finger from them.”
Defendant Kollie also denied being involved in previous armed robbery activities but admitted of being detained at the Gbarnga central prison for one year seven months for alleged armed robbery. But he claimed that he was released by the government due to their failure to prosecute the matter, contrary to his testimony, it was reported that he and several others broke jail in 2018.
He also alleged that LNP head of intelligence Frederick Nepay visited him at the Kakata prison facility for him (defendant Kollie) to testify on behalf of the state and he was being told by Col. Nepay that if he testified on behalf of the state, he could be released and given US1000 but he said no.
Defendant Kollie was cross examined by the state and later discharged by court.
Female witness in defense testifies
Defense fifth witness in person of Emmanuel Kollie’s girlfriend identified as Zogbo Kokulu, the witness in defense of her boyfriend and told court that she and her husband were in bed when both of them were taken to the police station.
Her statement corroborated with defendant Emmanuel Kollie.
On Tuesday December 28, 2021, defense sixth witness defendant James Tokpa Kollie alias depree took the witness stand and testified that he doesn’t have any idea about the crime levied against him by the state and more besides he was never in Liberia when the incident occurred but rather he was in Guinea.
Defendant James Kollie, alias “Depree” presented what is believed to be his evidence by presenting receipts of his hotel he was lodging in Guinea for 158 days after he went to meet with a business partner.
But out of the seven receipts presented to court, six were in 2019 and one was in 2020 July.
When he was questioned by the defense lawyer as to how he get to know that crime was committed in Liberia, defendant James Tokpa Kollie alias depree said when he was in Guinea, he used to follow the social media about the alleged armed robbery that occurred in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County and he got interested in reading the story something he claimed was saddened.
During testimony in chief, defendant James Tokpa Kollie said after two days he saw on the social media and the Galama news agency where he saw the LNP has gun down those perpetrators who were involved in the armed robbery that occurred in Grand Bassa County which led to the killing of the German national Juergen Schedema.
“Again while following the police website, he learned that police has again gun down those involved in the killing of the German national,” defendant James Kollie testified in his alleged armed robbery case which resulted to the death of the German national.
Narrating further, defendant James Kollie said that on July 23,2021, he was in Mt. Barclay community after he came from visiting his project site and he was awaiting a truck to take crushed rock to his project site. But while in the process of waiting for the truck, he went to a nearby shop to but moriga zero and while drinking his moriga zero, at 11:45am, he saw a car rushing to him to where he was standing drinking his moriga zero but to his utter most surprised, he saw four gun men coming toward him.
The four gun men asked all of them at shop to lie down flat on the ground and the officers asked who is James Tokpa Kollie and he responded said he was the one and he later asked the police what happened.
But he explained that he was told when he get to the police station he will know and he was immediately handcuffed and placed at the back of his car and he was asked to turn over his car keys including money,phone and every items he has with him.
The defendant James Tokpa Kollie narrated that those who arrested him to his crush rock money US&1,800 which was meant for his crush rock and the police officers began searching his car where his passport, ID card, watch and wallet.
After being taken to the police station, he was questioned about what he knows about the alleged armed robbery which led to the death of the German national and he responded and said, he doesn’t know anything about it. And he wasn’t in Liberia and he told them to check his passport but he was told by the officers of it is his passport he depending on to defend himself, he won’t see it again.
According to him, he was taken to the police Inspector General office where he was been beaten by some officers on ground that he was asked by the police IG about his involvement in the armed robbery activities that took place in Buchanan at the logging company, but he chose to remain silent.
He claimed that he was deprived from making cell phone call also deprived from people visiting him.
Defendant James Kollie alias depree has been detained on numerous occasions for alleged armed robberies but how he can be released remains unknown and he also accused of being the main person who shoot the German national during the armed robbery at the logging company in big Joe town Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County.
The three defendants are currently undergoing trial for allegedly committing the crimes of murder, armed robbery and criminal conspiracy, which resulted into the death of the German national.
The defendant were cross examined by the state and the defense lawyers rested in Toto with the production of both oral and documentary evidence.