PHOTO: Retina Capehart (Left) being escorted from the court by Correction Officer
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
The woman, Retina Capehart responsible for the recent trafficking of eight Liberian women to the Middle East nation of Oman in 2020 has been unanimously found guilty of human trafficking by trial jurors at the Criminal Court “A” at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia.
The unanimous guilty verdict was handed down on Madam Capehart on Tuesday April 19, 2022.
But the defense lawyers have taken exception to the jurors’ verdict.
Following her conviction at Criminal Court A, Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie ordered the clerk of court to write a communication to the probation office at the Ministry of Justice to do a background investigation regarding the convict reputation and character including prior criminal records in order for the judge to make an informed decision.
The report should be presented to court on or before Friday, April 22,2022, at 10am.
The investigation of the convict Capehart character or reputation includes her school she attended, community, the Liberia national police and other securities apparatus regarding any activities she has been involved with.
Meanwhile, sentence hearing and sentencing into the case is scheduled for next Monday, April 25,2022 at 10am.
During the trial proceedings, state prosecutors paraded six witnesses while the defense produced three witnesses.
Thirty-one-year Retina Capehart on Tuesday, March 22,2022 pleaded not to the Crime trafficking in person thereby joining issue with the state at Criminal Court A presided by it resident Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie.
After her not guilty plead, state prosecutor headed by Assistant justice Wesseh A. Wesseh began with the production of its first witness.
The trial was a jury trial where at the end, the jurors decided her fate.