Monrovia — Criminal Court 'A' Judge, Roosevelt Willie, issued a stern warning to prosecution lawyers during Monday's proceedings in the Charloe Musu alleged murder trial. The judge cautioned them against any attempt to delay the trial and emphasized the importance of producing all witnesses in a timely manner to expedite the legal process.
The warning from Judge Willie came in response to a request from the prosecution's legal team to postpone the trial until Tuesday, September 5th, in order to present their second witness. It should be noted that the prosecution had originally been expected to produce this witness during Monday's trial.
In a strong rebuttal, defense lawyers opposed the prosecution's plea for a postponement and urged Judge Willie to deny the request.
However, Judge Willie expressed his dissatisfaction with the prosecution's actions. He noted that the prosecution had already initiated the process of presenting a second witness on Monday but had failed to do so. This raised concerns of a deliberate effort to prolong the trial unnecessarily.
Consequently, Judge Willie warned the prosecution to ensure the timely appearance of their remaining witnesses. While reluctantly granting the prosecution's request to bring their second witness on Tuesday, September 5th, the judge made it clear that any further attempt to delay the case would not be tolerated.
During Monday's trial, the prosecution did present its first witness, Zion Tarr, who served as a security personnel at the residence of Former Chief Justice Glorious Musu Scott at the time of the incident that led to the tragic death of Charloe Musu.
In his testimony, Witness Tarr recounted the events of February 22, stating that he and his colleagues arrived for work at 7:30 AM. Upon arrival, they were greeted by Charloe Musu, who opened the gate and later locked it after they entered the premises.
According to Witness Tarr, he and his colleagues were seated under a palava-hut while Moses Wright and Anthony Musu were nearby. Moses Wright called Witness Tarr to join them for a meal, and after eating, Charloe Musu brought them water. Witness Tarr expressed his gratitude to the family for the meal.
Later, Moses Wright left, and Witness Tarr and Anthony Musu remained under the palava-hut. Moses instructed Witness Tarr to rest briefly and then go to the main gate. Witness Tarr agreed, and Anthony Musu stayed behind.
As Witness Tarr rested, he heard cries coming from inside the house, and he alerted Anthony Musu. Both of them realized the cries were coming from a young girl. They approached the house and saw Getrude Newton sliding a window open. She began shouting about armed robbers in the house.
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Witness Tarr stated that he and Anthony Musu went to investigate, and when they approached the house, Getrude Newton was in a room belonging to Ma Rebecca. She called Witness Tarr and urged him to open the window for them to escape. Witness Tarr explained that he had only a cutlass with him, which they typically used for security purposes, and he doubted it could open the window. Getrude Newton insisted, and Witness Tarr attempted to use the cutlass to pry open the window.
Eventually, community members arrived and helped Chief Justice Scott and Charloe Musu escape from the house. Witness Tarr recalled seeing Getrude Newton with a black handbag, speaking to Alice Johnson, urging her to leave. The police arrived later and took statements from Witness Tarr and his colleagues.
The trial will continue with the prosecution's presentation of its second witness on Tuesday, September 5th, as authorized by Judge Roosevelt Willie.
