Four persons accused of flogging a middle-aged man to death on suspicion of his involvement of witchcraft activities undergoing police interrogation in Harper City, Maryland County.
By: Patrick N. Mensah, Maryland County
Harper, Liberia, March 25, 2025- The Liberia National Police in Harper City, Maryland County has forwarded four suspects to Harper Magisterial Court for alleged murder.
The suspects were charged with multiple crimes and forwarded to court for pretrial.
According to police charge sheet, defendants Sabastine Wilson, Joseph Y. Wilson, Joseph D. Wilson, and Francis M. Harris were charged with Murder, Criminal Facilitation, Criminal Solicitation, Criminal Conspiracy in accordance with the Penal Code of the Republic of Liberia (section 14.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4).
The police charge sheet indicates that on 17 March 2025, at about 15:13hours, they received a call via phone from Mr. George Appleton of Rock Town, Township Commissioner, who complained that a man identified as Himmie Freeman, a Liberian and a resident of Middle Town, in Harper District was seen unconscious along the road close to one of the villages leading from Middle Town to Rock Town at about 11:00 am.
Police say upon receiving the information, a team of Joint Security headed by Superintendent Frederick T. smith, Jr., Chief Investigator of the Crime Services department of the Liberia National Police Maryland chapter visited the crime scene to gather facts surrounding the incident.
Following arrival of the Joint Security on the scene, the information provided by the Commissioner was proven, with eight persons arrested and turned over to the Police Crime Services Department CSD for investigation.
The charge sheet further details that the eight suspects were acquainted with their constitutional rights to a legal representation.
Though they earlier denied wrongdoing, but with testimonies of Witnesses Samuel Appleton, 19; Alpha Wilson, age 16; Gabriel M. Walker, 19 and John Bolen, 21, in the presence of Police, allegedly agreed and admitted to beating the victim, resulting to his death, adding that the deceased was accused of being a wizard and they were driving him from the town.
Following the ordeal, they were later charged with murder, criminal facilitation, criminal solicitation, criminal conspiracy, which constitute sections (14.1, 10.2, 10.3, and 10.4) of the Penal code of the Republic of Liberia.
Meanwhile, the alleged act was committed to prevent the deceased, Himmie Freeman, who was believed to be in his early 50s from initiating innocent children into witchcraft activities.
However, several residents, Civil Society actors and the National Independent Commission on Human Rights in Maryland County have condemned the act.
They pointed out that the recent mob violence against citizens shouldn’t be tolerated in the county, advising citizens to seek redress through legal means, instead of taking the law into their own hands.
The four defendants were forwarded to the Harper City Court and later sent to the Harper Central Prison, pending trial. Editing by Jonathan Browne
