Journalist’s murderer speaks out

Mr. Jonathan Willaims, the man who gruesomely murdered young Liberian journalist Tyron Browne, says he thought the deceased was an armed robber. Suspect Williams said he stabbed the victim with a knife after the deceased allegedly knocked his (suspect’s) head on the wall.

Police Spokesman Moses Carter told a press conference at the Liberia National Police (LNP) headquarters on Friday, 20 April that suspect Williams said he and his two nieces Alice and Elwina Youtey were at home in Du-port Road on Sunday night, 15 April when murdered journalist Browne went there and knocked at the door.

Journalist Browne’s gruesome murder and other recent killing incidents in and around Monrovia have instilled panic here, with many pointing fingers in different directions with speculating as to who is responsible for the unusual death of journalist Browne, formerly of Super FM/TV of businessman Atty. George Kailondo.

But Mr. Carter says suspect Williams has been very cooperative with investigators since his arrest, adding that “he has admitted to the commission of the act,” in reference to murdering journalist Browne.

In his testimony, Mr. carter says suspect Williams narrates that he was called from his room by his relative who stays with him in Du-port Road, Alice Youtey “to inform him of a strange individual that had knocked at his door” in the evening hours of Sunday, 15 April.

He says the individual was asked to reveal his identity, but he allegedly refused to be identified, thus allegedly instilling “fear in them in the house, thinking that it was an armed robber that had gone to effect a robbery at their home.”

One of the suspect’s nieces, Alice is said to have asked who was knocking the door, and the victim allegedly replied that Alice should “look at the door” and she would see who was knocking.

Alice says she reported to her sister Elwina who was watching a Filipino movie in the living room that an unknown individual was knocking the door.She alleges that journalist Browne did not disclose his identity when Elwina also came to the window and opened it a little wide and asked.

They say it further instilled fear in them, thus informing their uncle Jonathan Williams about the incident. Quoting witnesses’ testimonies, Mr. Carter says prime suspect Williams came out with a knife and asked who victim Browne wanted to see.

When Browne allegedly replied that he did not want to see anyone, suspect Williams allegedly ordered the victim to leave his compound because he was trespassing.

According to Mr. Carter, suspect Williams alleges that victim Browne questioned what he would do if he did not leave the compound, thus prompting the suspect to push the victim outside.

A scuffle then ensued in the interval of pushing journalist Browne outside, “and they started fighting with the knife in suspect Williams’ hand,” Mr. Carter adds.

Suspect Williams alleges that victim Browne knocked his head on the wall, after which he (Williams) used the knife to stab the fallen journalist.

After stabbing the journalist, suspect Williams claims that the victim ran off to an unknown destination, but they chose to make a follow up after a while as to where the journalist was.

“According to them, they walked two feet away from their compound and found the journalist lying down. It was then that this sister called Elwina … confirmed to us that she was a friend, just a casual friend to journalist Tyron Browne,” Mr. Carter narrates further.

Elwina reveals that journalist Browne was someone who always called and motivated her in life, but notes that they had not seen since November last year until journalist Browne went at their home.

In identifying journalist Browne who had already died, Elwina is said to have revealed that he lived down Du-port Road Market, following which suspect Williams chose to put the victim’s remains in an infiniti pathfinder jeep and dropped him off at Kindercare in Du-port Road.

According to Mr. Carter, suspect Williams is in police custody undergoing further interrogation to substantiate circumstances that led to the death of the journalist.

By Winston W. Parley