By Garmah Never Lomo,garmahlomo@gmail.com
Criminal court “A” at the Monrovia Temple of Justice in the Liberian capital, Monrovia has sentenced a 24-year-old man, Joshua Marshall to life imprisonment.
Reading the sentence yesterday Crimimal court A judge Roosevelt Z. Willie said when the case was called for this May term of Court, convict upon reading of the indictment, he pleaded Not guilty to the indictment, thereby joining issue with state and prosecution was ordered to prove the guilt of the defendants beyond all reasonable doubt of the crime murder.
During the hearing of the case, prosecution produced seven witnesses while the defendant testified on his own behalf and another person.
After both prosecution and defendant witnesses were rested and cross examined by the state prosecutors and defend counsel.
Judge Willie added that according to the new panel code of Liberia, section 50.5 and 51.3 states that a person is guilty of murder only if he purposely or knowingly causes the death of another human being and for the charge of murder to be sustained, it must be proved that the accused committed the unlawful killing with premeditation and malice aforethought and the penalty for murder is death or life imprisonment.
After all witnesses produced by state prosecutors and defend counsel and all evidence produced and having carefully listened to facts and evidence produced, the jurors brought the defendant quilty with unanimous verdict.
In fact, according to the Probation Officer at Ministry of Justice said two communities members interviewed in block B 1503 community, Kesselly boulevard where the defendant lived prior to the incident disclosed that the defendant is in the constant habit of threatening his neighbors and therefore not surprised to have heard that he killed Othello Charty.
Another community member who had known the defendant for the past five years also mentioned that he was threaten by defendant Marshall that he will burned she and her children alive in the house.
Moreover, during the sentencing hearing counsel for defendant intimated to court that indeed the findings of the probation office were accurate and satisfatory despite the negative comments concerning his client from two of his community members.
Convict Marshall was indicted by the ground jury of Montserrado for murdering Othello Charty in the Kesselly Boulevard area in the township of Garnerville.
The convict Marshall was arrested on the 21st of October 2018, by the Liberia National police
It can be recalled convict Marshall and Charty entered into a fist fight during which time defendant Marshall stabbed Othello with a knife in his chest and victim Othello later reported the matter to the Zone four deport of the Liberia National Police where he was advised to go and seek medical treatment and report back the next day.
However, while the deceased and his wife were walking to a nearby clinic on the Kesselly boulevard road, the observed a green Nissan Almira station wagon with plate number A-211418, approaching them with excessive speed and intentionally hit Othello Charty, rolled over him with the vehicle and instantly killed him causing his wife to run away and was later identified as convict Marshall whom he and the deceased has earlier had a quarrel and stabbed the deceased with his knife.
Meanwhile, his lawyer Anthony Doe took exception of the ruling and announced an appeal to the honorable Supreme Court sitting in its October term of Court.
Marshall later covered his head with white towel among others defendants.