PHOTO: Assistant Justice Minister Eddie Tarawali
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE-Monrovia-The Assistant Minister of Bureau of Correction and Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Justice, Eddie Tarawali has confirmed the death of a murder suspect, Emmet Hoff at the Monrovia Central prison via mobile phone.
According to Minister Tarawali, the murder suspect was on trial at the Criminal Court ‘A’ at the Temple of Justice when he died On Saturday April 18, 2020 at the prison compound.
Prior to his incarceration at the Monrovia Central Prison, Minister Tarawali said the defendant has been suffering from complicated medical problems.
He disclosed to www.newspublictrust.com that once a suspect dies (whether he or she was convicted or pre-trial detainee), it is usually the responsibility of the court to bury that defendant, because he was under the jurisdiction of the court.
He added that most often, if an inmate dies and the family request for the remains of the suspect, it can be given to them. But if not, the correction center can bury the corpse and chain the grave.
Therefore, the body of the murder suspect has now been turned over to his family based on their request for burial.
On March 22, 2018, the pastor of Global Praise Baptist church located in Barnesville Emmet Hoff gruesomely killed victim Alexander Slocum allegedly for a parcel of land in the Building for Tomorrow community in Johnsonville.
The suspect”, who was pastoring a the Global Praise Baptist Church along with his medicine man identified as “Papay”, were arrested and brought before the Monrovia City court on April 26, 2018 and sent to jail while awaiting court trial.
The Writ of arrest for Pastor Hoff and his medicine man said the defendants being wicked intent, purposely connived, conspired and intentionally murdered the victim Alexander Slocum, whose decomposed body was exhumed from a shallow grave in Johnsonville, outside Monrovia.
The alleged act of the Pastor being unlawful, wicked, illegal and willful was in violation of Section 14.1 sub section A of the new penal law of the Republic of Liberia.
The court commenced trial proceedings of suspect Emmet Hoff in the February Term of Court, where the state produced four witnesses and rested, while the defendant Emmet Hoff was expected to take the witness stand on Monday, April 20,2020.