It’s nearly a month since the Supreme Court of Liberia acquitted former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott and three other family members in the murder trial of her late daughter Charloe Musu. However, it appears that the case is far from being concluded with the Government of Liberia currently reviewing the case file.
On Wednesday, August 28, 2024, the high court overturned a life sentence earlier imposed on the then defendants by Criminal Court ‘A’ Judge Roosevelt Willie in connection with the death of Charloe Musu.
Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh said there was insufficient evidence to link the former Chief Justice and her relatives to the crimes and reversed the final ruling of Judge Willie who confirmed the verdict of the trial jury.
Gloria Musu Scott, Ma Rebecca Youdeh Wisner, Getrude Newton and Alice Johnson are ordered immediately released from further detention at the Monrovia Central Prison and their civil rights, liberties and all other constitutional and statutory rights are hereby immediately restored,” said the Supreme Court judgment.
After examining the facts surrounding the case and arguments put forth, Chief Justice Yuoh stated that it is the law that the standard of proof to warrant a conviction in a criminal case is proof beyond a reasonable doubt and that throughout the trial, the State bears the burden of establishing all elements of the crimes charged by the said standard of proof. She further said in the instance where reasonable doubt is inferred from the evidence by the prosecution, the defendant in a criminal case is entitled to an acquittal.
Also, the Chief Justice mentioned that a verdict presented by the jury may be set aside, where the verdict is contrary to the weight of the evidence.
According to her, the state relied on circumstantial evidence but failed to meet the standard as required by law to connect link by link the chain needed to lead any reasonable mind to the conclusion of guilt, that Cllr. Scott along with her relatives did murder Charloe Musu adding that the guilty verdict returned by the jury was against the weight of the evidence and is set aside.
Another contradiction the Chief Justice cited was that the autopsy conducted by two Liberian pathologists, Dr. Benedict Kolee and Dr. Zoebon Kpadeh, clearly proved that male chromosome was discovered in the fingers of the deceased but sadly all of those who were accused to have committed the crimes were all females, something Kolee has since rejected and maintained that the court was misled in the murder case as no male DNA was found in the home of Cllr. Scott by both Defense and Persecution pathologists.
The Liberia pathologist said the release of the former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott and three former murder convicts from prison cannot be the end of this case, as Charloe deserves justice.
After the Supreme Court’s decision to acquit of the crimes of Murder, Criminal Conspiracy, and Making False Alarm to Law Enforcement Officials charged in the indictment of against the four defendants, it seems that all was over with the case after the government released the body of the late Charloe to the family for burial.
But speaking at the Ministry of Information regular press briefing on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, the Government through the Ministry of Justice said its prosecuting arm through the Secretary General is actively reviewing the case file related to Charole’s death to identify perpetrators.
Justice Minister Cllr Oswald Tweh said the government is reviewing the evidence to identify any leads that might help them in apprehending the individual responsible for the crime.
He said their goal is to ensure that justice is served, and the responsible parties are arrested, charged and prosecuted.
