Monrovia — The Supreme Court of Liberia has announced its readiness to commence hearing an appeal filed before it by former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott and members of her household who were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of their niece, Charloe Musu.
The Supreme Court statement was contained in a notice of assignment for argument of the case issued to both prosecution and defense lawyers on Thursday.
The commencement of the hearing in the case is slated for the 16th-day session on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, beginning at 11:00 am.
It can be recalled, Criminal Court "C" Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie in January, 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".
In making the decision, the Judge noted that the crime of murder is a capital offense and the penalty thereof is either death or life Imprisonment.
He stated that owing to Liberia being a signatory to international treaties that forbid the death penalty, he was left with the alternative 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
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investigation where: (a) The defendant has been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year imprisonment.
The defendant's actions, according to the indictment, 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 claimed that 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 and willfully, intentionally, purposely, and maliciously inflicted several bodily injuries on Charloe Musu including her chest, right hand, left thigh and left armpit, leading to her death and thereby committing the crime of murder.
The defendants at the time pleaded not guilty to charges brought against them, stating that they were wrongly accused of a crime they did not commit and that the State failed to go after the perpetrators.
Defense Lawyers argued that the prosecution failed to adduce evidence beyond all reasonable doubt as the prosecution persistently reported that its evidence and the circumstances surrounding the incident clearly indicate that defendant Scott and three relatives are liable for the death of the late Charloe Musu
Meanwhile, 11 out of the 12-man jurors voted for a guilty verdict with one voting 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." The jury's verdict read.
