Police send man, 22, to court for killing his daughter 

By Lincoln G. Peters

The Liberia National Police has investigated, charged and forwarded to court a 22-year-old man, Robert Klonkon Blatant, for bashing the head of his one-year-old daughter to death in Tusa Field Community, New Georgia.

According to Police charge sheet dated May 16, 2023, Defendant Robert Klonkon Blatant, on the morning of May 8, 2023, at about 0230hrs brutally murdered his one-year-old daughter, Rachel Blatch, after threatening to kill Prince Gibson while at their Tusa Field residence in Gardnersville. 

The Liberia National Police says Defendant Blatant was acquainted with his constitutional rights and subsequently charged with the crime of murder based on complaint filed by his landlord. 

According to the Police, the defendant admitted to investigators that he consumed narcotic substances, as a habit he had recently adopted.

“The defendant told the police investigator that he was experiencing periods of hallucinations in which he inferred that he heard voices instructing him to carry out self-destruction actions such as tearing off his clothes in public, as well as other abnormal behavior even to the extent of threatening to kill his fiancé and brutally killing his own daughter”, the LNP detailed.

The police charge sheet further indicated that the defendant purposely, and intentionally caused the death of little Rachel Blatch under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.

The LNP noted that the action by the defendant is in violation of Chapter 14, Subchapter A, Section 14.1 of the Revised Penal Code of Liberia. 

Police established that the defendant prior to the incident had started exhibiting signs of unusual behavior which triggered the attention of his fiancée Ms. Princess Gibson, who disclosed that the defendant had been showing signs of aggressiveness and abnormality, for which she suspected he may have been involved with drugs. 

“On the night of the incident, Defendant Robert Klonkon returned home very late, and upon entering, he threatened his wife not to leave their room or allow her to call anyone or else he will kill her. The defendant forcibly stripped his fiancée and their child naked and also naked himself. He began damaging things in the room which prompted the landlord Mr. Amos Nyuanque to wake up from his room and went to the defendant’s room to acquire what was happening. 

But, the defendant only insulted the landlord. Knowing that the defendant was quite recently in the habit of constantly beating on his fiancée, the landlord decided to go and have the defendant’s mother, Hawa Sando, who lives few houses away, informed about the unfolding”, the LNP stated. 

Police explained that despite several attempts to prevent the defendant from killing his daughter and causing serious bodily harm to his fiancée by his mother and some neighbors who upon arrival, managed to forcibly open the door, allowing the victim’s mother to escape.

“They open the door allowing the victim’s mother to escape but the child which he had grabbed from the mother upon her escape was brutally murdered by him in the presence of his mother and other neighbors who witness his inhumane actions brutally meted out against his innocent one-year-old child, little Rachel Blatch by bashing her head with electrical fan stand. It was also established that before that, upon the arrival of the police, the child was already dead”, LNP noted.

Police say in view of the above fact and circumstances, coupled with witness’ testament and the tacit admission of the defendant, the investigation resolved to charge Defendant Robert Klonkon Blatch with the offense of murder in violation of Chapter 14, Subsection A, Section 14.1 of the Revised Penal Code Law of Liberia for purposely, knowingly causing the death of little Rachel Blatch under manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life and have him forwarded to court for adjudication. Editing by Jonathan Browne