PHOTO: Defendant (in handcuff) being escorted by court officer leading the court
TEMPLE OF JUSTICE, Monrovia- The Liberian National Police has investigated, charged and forwarded to court a 22-year-old man, Robert Klonkon Blatant allegedly smashing the head of his one-year-old daughter to death, after using the illicit drug, “Kush”, as Garmah Never Lomo reports.
The tragic incident happened in the Tusa Field community in New Georgia, Gardnersville, a suburb of Monrovia.
According to the LNP charged dated May 16, 2023, Police investigation finds that defendant Robert Klonkon Blatant on the morning of May 8, 2023 at about 0230hrs brutally murdered his one-year-old daughter identified as Rachel Blatch, after threatening to kill another man, Prince Gibson while at their Tusa Field residence.
The LNP said that defendant Robert Klonkon Blatant was arrested and acquainted with his constitutional rights investigated and subsequently charged with the crime murder based on complied filed by his landlord.
Defendant Blatant was investigated and subsequently charged with the crime murder for bashing the head his biological daughter little Rachel Blatch with the crime electrical fan stand on May, 8, 2023.
The LNP disclosed that the defendant admitted to the police investigator that he consumed narcotics substance, peanut butter with marijuana substance as a habit he had recently adopted.
“The defendant told the police investigator that he was experiencing periods of hallucinations in which he inferred that he heard voices instructing him as to carrying out self-destruction action such as tearing off his clothes in public, as wall as other abnormal behavior even to the extent of threatening to kill his fiance and brutally killing his own daughter,” the LNP disclosed.
The LNP charged further indicated that defendant Robert Klonkon purposely, and intentionally caused the death of little Rachel Blatch under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.
The LNP noted that the action by the defendant is in violation of chapter 14, subchapter A, section 14.1 of the revised Penal Code of Liberia.
The LNP established that the defendant prior to the incident had started exhibiting signs of unusual behavior which triggered the attention of his fiance Ms. Princess Gibson who disclosed that the defendant had been showing signs of aggressiveness and abnormally, for which she suspected the defendant may have been involved room drugs.
“On the night of the incident, defendant Robert Klonkon returned home very late and upon entering he threatened his wife not to leave their room or allow her to call anyone or else he will kill her. The defendant forcibly stripped his fiance and their child naked and also naked himself. He began damaging things in the room which prompted the landlord Mr. Amos Nyuanque to wake up and from his room and went to the defendant room to acquire what happening.
But, the defendant only insulted the landlord. Knowing that the defendant was quite recently in the habit of constantly beating on his fiance, the landlord decided to go and have the defendant mother, Hawa Sando who live few houses away informed about the unfolding” the LNP stated.
The police explained that despite several attempts to prevent defendant Robert Klonkon from killing his daughter and causing serious bodily harm to his fiancé by his mother and some neighbors who upon arrival manager to forcibly open the door allowing the victim mother to escape.
“They open the door allowing the victim mother to escape but the child which he had grabbed from the mother upon her escape was brutally murdered by him in the presence of his mother and other neighbors who witness his inhumane actions brutally meted out against his innocent one-year-old child, little Rachel Blatch by bashing her head with electrical fan stand. It was also established that before that upon the arrival of the police, the child was already dead” LNP noted.
“However, in view of the above fact and circumstances, coupled with witness testament and the tacit admission of the defendant, this investigation has resolved to charge defendant Robert Klonkon Blatch with the offence of murder, in violation of chapter 14, subsection A, section 14.1 of the revised Penal Code Law of Liberia for purposely, knowingly causing the death of little Rachel Blatch under manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life and have him forwarded to court for adjudication,” the charge sheet concluded.