By: Coco V Gray
Monrovia – Supreme Court has announced that it is ready to listen to an appeal filed before it by former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott and her family members who were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of their niece, Charloe Musu. The Supreme Court further in their announcement was contained in a notice of assignment for argument of the case issued to both prosecution and defense lawyers on Thursday, June 27, 2024. The High Court scheduled the hearing of the case for the 16th day session which is on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 11:00 A. M.
In January of this year, Criminal Court “C” Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie sentenced to life imprisonment former Chief Justice, Gloria Musu-Scott, and three other family members after they were found guilty of the crimes of murder, criminal conspiracy, and raising a false alarm to law enforcement officers. Judge Willie in his judgement on Tuesday, January 9, 2024 upheld the Jurors’ majority “guilty verdict”.
Judge Willie, making the decision, said the crime of murder is a capital offense and the penalty thereof is either death or life Imprisonment. The judge, however, stated that because Liberia signed an international treaty that forbids death; he was left with the only option to sentence the convicts to a maximum of life Imprisonment.
The sentencing of the defendants came following the Ministry of Justice pre-sentence investigation of the defendants and accord due consideration to a written report of such investigation where: (a) The defendant has been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment. At the end of the sentencing hearing, family members, relatives and well-wishers of the convicts were seen in open court weeping and as well issuing threats to the Judge, court officers and State prosecutors.
On June 12, 2023, the defendants were charged by the Special Grand Jury of Monsterrado County on allegations of Murder, Criminal Conspiracy, and giving a false alarm to police. According to the charge, “The defendant’s actions violated Title 26, chapter 14, section 14.1; Chapter 10, section 10.4; and Chapter 12, section 12.33 of the new penal law of Liberia,” the indictment stated.
According to the indictment, on February 22, 2023, at about 10:00 PM, Cllr. Gloria Musu-Scott, Gertrude Newton, Alice Johnson, and Rebecca Youdeh Wisner, “with criminal intent, armed themselves with a sharp instrument believed to be a knife and pepper spray. They wilfully, intentionally, purposely, and maliciously inflicted several bodily injuries on Charlotte Musu, including her chest, right hand, left thigh, and left armpit, leading to her death and thereby committing the crime of murder.”
However, they all pleaded not guilty to charges against them. The defense said the defendants are being wrongly accused of a crime they know nothing about and that the State has failed to go after the main perpetrators.
According to Defense Lawyers, the prosecution has failed to adduce evidence beyond all reasonable doubts, however, the prosecution noted that its evidence and the circumstances surrounding the incident clearly show that Defendant Scott and three others are liable for the death of the later Charloe Musu.
The final argument which drew the presence of key government officials saw a majority guilty verdict. Eleven of the jurors voted for a guilty verdict, and one voted for a not guilty verdict. “We, the trial jurors in the case, after careful consideration of the evidence, hereby carefully agree that the defendants are hereby judged guilty of the crime of murder, criminal conspiracy, and raising a false alarm to law enforcement officers.
