-As sentencing set for this Thursday
By Garmah Never Lomo in TUBMANBURG, Liberia
Convicted Murderer of Journalist Tyron Browne, Jonathan Williams says his life should be taken, after the sentencing because he had no intention of taking away Brown’s life.
Speaking at the 11th Judicial Circuit Court in Tubmanburg, Bomi County, western Liberia on Monday, March 23, 2020, convict Williams said more besides, he has been labeled as criminal when he had never come across such temptation in his life before.
Judge Nancy Sammy on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 handed down a guilty verdict for Williams, who in 2018 stabbed Journalist Brown to death several times at his residence and dumped his body in another community in the Paynesville suburb of Monrovia.
Judge Sammy ruled that the Prosecution provided convincing evidence to prove that Williams committed murder, but reserved sentence, pending probe by the Probation Officer of Montserrado County.
Defendant Williams had earlier during the trial admitted killing Journalist Browne, but he claimed it was in self-defense.
The Probation Officer’s probe was to ascertain the character of Williams before this Friday, March 20, 2020.
Usually during the sentencing hearing, the defendant is given the benefit of the doubt to express his or herself and what the court should do as a matter of law.
In tears in the Bomi County Court on Monday, convict Williams repeated what he said earlier during the trial: He is very sorry for taking away another person’s life. But he claimed that it was in self-defense that resulted into loss of life.
“I’m very sorry for not listening to my family, children and also everyone” and that when he knew he couldn’t have spent the day to night at his residence or when he knew, the time his niece called him, he could have walked through his gate.
Narrating further, convict Williams said: “When you are sitting in the dock and dock is where Defendant sit during hearing of cases is like you are lifeless or like a man going to be slaughtered.”
According to him, he doesn’t smoke, neither does he drink nor in the habit of going out to entertainment center or other places and more besides he never knew Tyron Brown at all.
Journalist Browne’s killer told the court that he had never ever met Tyron Browne in his entire life and that everything said against him is lie.
The convicted Murderer expressed regret that the young Journalist’s life was taken and but it was never his intention to take away life, saying he was sorry for being called from the United States to Join the Campaign team of the former Vice president Joseph Boakai of the former ruling Unity Party.