S/Court rules in Justice Scott & others’ conviction  

The Supreme Court of Liberia is today rendering its opinion on the conviction of Ex-Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott and three family members for murder.

By Lincoln G. Peters

Monrovia, Liberia, August 28, 2024 – Liberia’s Supreme Court is today, Wednesday, August 28, 2024, handing down opinion in the murder conviction of former Chief Justice Cllr. Gloria Musu Scott and three family members over the death of her niece, Charloe Musu. 

The court’s notice of assignment in possession of this paper notifies both parties that it is ready to rule on the appeal motion filed by the former Chief Justice.

It reads: “You are hereby commanded to notify the Parties in the above Entitled Cause of Action or their Legal Representative(s) that the Honorable Supreme Court of the Republic of Liberia will give ruling in said cause on the 28″ day of August A.D. 2024, at the hour of 12:00 noon., and that they are cited to be present for same. And have you there this notice of assignment.”

The Supreme Court on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, blasted government lawyers over their failure to link former Chief Justice Scott and three family members to the crime of murder. 

Justices of the Supreme Court bench bombarded prosecutors with questions over their failure to show the connection linking the defendants to the crimes of murder, criminal conspiracy, and raising false alarms to law enforcement officers. 

The Tuesday, July 16 hearing followed defense lawyers’ appeal against a Circuit court’s ruling upholding jurors’ guilty verdict against Cllr. Scott and her family members: Gertrude Newton, Rebecca Youdeh Wisner, and Alice Johnson.

The defendants were accused of killing Charloe Musu, niece of Cllr. Scott. The former Chief Justice said she had reported two separate attacks on her home, but the authorities did nothing to prevent further attacks before Charloe was brutally murdered.

The accused denied any links to the murder and demanded the investigation of former Monrovia Mayor Jefferson T. Koijee, for allegedly ordering Varlee Telleh to carry out the attack. Koijee and Telleh denied the claim.

During arguments at the Supreme Court, Justices asked prosecutors whether the DNA analysis by Liberian pathologist Dr. Benedict Kolee linked any of the defendants to the crimes of murder, criminal conspiracy, and making false statements to law enforcement officers.

In response, prosecution lawyer Cllr. Bobby Livingstone said their case theory was based on circumstantial evidence since the defendants failed to point out who did the killing.

With this response, the Justices told Cllr. Livingstone that the prosecution of the case was based on presumption and assumption without establishing any evidence.
The Justices were also concerned about each role played by the defendants during the commission of the crimes.

“Did all of them take the knife to stab Charloe Musu?” Current Chief Justice, Her Honor Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh, questioned prosecution lawyer Livingstone.

Arguing further on behalf of the State, Cllr. Livingstone debunked the five issues raised by Cllr—Scott’s lawyers.

Cllr. Livingstone argued that no intruder was discovered during the commission of the crimes, as the defendants alleged.

“By Circumstantial evidence, we will hold all [of] them,” he maintained.

Additionally, Associate Justice Jamesetta Howard Wolokolie questioned Cllr. Livingstone whether all of the accused used one knife to stab Charloe Musu or they used separate knives.

In response, the prosecution lawyers dismissed information that the defendants were not provided due process as required by law.

They said that during the entire trial, there was no jury tempering, as presented in the defense lawyers’ brief, stating that information about jury tempering was investigated and a finding provided.

The prosecution added that it’s impossible that five individuals will be in a house without intrusion, but one person was stabbed and died without any account. Editing by Jonathan Browne