An American, aged 32, Lucas Richards who allegedly chopped the neck of his wife Jessica Lloyd, is expected to take the witness stand after prosecuting attorneys rested with producing evidence.
The incident occurred on September 14, 2023, in the Dixville Community.
The defendant was arrested, charged and indicted by the Grand Jury of Montserrado County based on double charges of Aggravated Assault and Criminal Attempt to Commit Murder.
Defendant Richards on today, Monday, March 25, 2024, is expected to take the witness stand.
Earlier, Jessica Lloyd took the witness stand and narrated her ordeal with defendant Richards whom she met while attending a bible school which he thought.
Jessica was asked by the jury de-facto which specific topic Lucas was teaching her in the school? She answered and said that he was teaching her “Walking with Jesus.”
Judge Koiboi Nuta questioned her again; how long did she know Lucas before getting married to him? Jessica said she met Lucas in April of 2023 and married him traditionally on May 19, 2023.
Concerning his wife who is in the United States of America, Jessica explained that she got to know about Lucas’ wife at the start of their love affairs which he himself revealed to her.
Again, Judge Nuta questioned Jessica if there were any reasons for the school denying her from graduating?
She answered that the Outreach Director of the school saw pictures of her and defendant Richards in her phone that got missing from her; so that’s how the school knew that they were in a relationship and “they confronted me and I admitted to it so that’s how I was stopped from graduating from the school.”
The victim also told the court that the defendant lured her into believing that his church permits multiple marriages so it was not wrong to get married to her while he’s already married.
She narrated that before September 14, 2023, she got pregnant and informed the defendant about it and he pretended that he was happy. He even gave her money to start the treatment at ELWA Hospital.
Going further, she explained how Lucas went to her house on September 14, 2023, because he earlier injected her with a substance that allegedly caused her a miscarriage. So Lucas came to apologize and bought some fruits to nourish and keep her strong and he later gave her another money for her upkeep. Then he asked her to go with him to get the balance fruit stuffs that he did not find.
Jessica recounted that they went to the Harbel Supermarket in Gardnersville. After a while they left the place and drove to Patience Shop before her husband later took Johnsonville Road where he stopped to place and met some disadvantaged youths who showed the direction to where Lucas was taking her.
When they got to the place which she doesn’t know, Jessica said that Lucas parked the car and told her to get down because he wanted to ease himself. He then took a knife along, informing her he would use it if they came across snakes in the bush.
After a while, they got in the car and he drove away, but said he wanted to urinate again and ask Jessica to cover him up while urinating but she refused.
Jessica alleged they then came to a cemetery and her husband requested both of them to go read on the graves the names of those who had died but she again refused his request.
Before getting to where the incident occurred, Jessica noted that the defendant gave her a drug because she was still complaining about her stomach hurting; then after a little ride, he parked the car and told her that the back tyre had a problem and he wanted her to help him.
While she bent down to help him, Jessica explained that she suddenly felt a heavy knock on the back of her head to where her husband was standing causing her to fall down.
While fighting to get up, the victim alleged that Lucas was standing looking at her but she managed to get up. However, the defendant pushed her to the ground and she could feel his heavy weight over her.
After a while, she saw angry crowd coming around with sticks in their hands to beat Lucas but she told them that he did not do anything to her; so they shouldn’t beat him.
The victim said Lucas later escaped the scene due to the angry crowd. She managed to get in the car with him but he hit her again with the car door and escaped.
During the trial on Friday, March 22, 2024, prosecuting attorneys rested with their oral and written pieces of evidence after producing several witnesses to testify in the case involving Jessica Lloyd who narrowly escaped a gruesome attack by her husband, who with a metal tool attempted to slit her throat.
Those witnesses who testified on behalf of Jessica are: Jessica Lloyd, Cynthia Lloyd, Nancy Borbor, Charlie N. Kimpie, Deazee Saywon and among others.
Testifying, Madam Nancy Borbor, a Nurse from ELWA Hospital mentioned that Jessica Lloyd came to ELWA Hospital and told her that she is pregnant and she (Borbor) sent Miss Lloyd to the pregnancy (OB) ward.
Borbor said she did the regular checking on Miss Lloyd and later gave her medication for pregnancy which she took and also took some home.
The Nurse said Miss Lloyd medical records are with her in court and the hospital chats are also at the ELWA Record Room. The medical chats were adduced into evidence to form part of the trial.
Witness Borbor stated that Miss Lloyd came to the hospital during her pregnancy period on August 1, 2023 and revealed that she missed her period on July 7, 2023, and after the checking, they discovered that she (Lloyd) was one month, two weeks and three days pregnant.
The Prosecution second witness from the JFK Hospital, Charlie N. Kimpie, a medical doctor and general surgeon, indicated that on September 14, 2023, he was at JFK Medical Center where they brought this 21-year old girl (Jessica Lloyd).
Witness Kimpie said he observed that she came with pain on the head and the neck, but the pulse rate was elevated trauma.
The witness emphasized that on exposure, Miss Lloyd has a laceration on the head and another one on the neck.
“On exposure of the wound of Miss Lloyd, all the veins on the neck were spared” Dr. Kimpie noted.
Dr. Kimpie said they considered it as a case of deep laceration, conducted a repair of the neck through suturing and put the patient on pain medication and antibodies.
The doctor displayed the photocopy of the medical report from JFK Hospital in open court and it was granted by the presiding Judge as evidence.
Dr. Kimpie confirmed that Miss Lloyd’s neck injury was life threatening especially considering trachea oesophagus.
The third witness, Doctor Deazee Saywon who did the DNC told the court that he was on duties and received a call that there was a patient that was admitted from vaginal bleeding.
He said they went to see the patient and she (Lloyd) complained that she’s pregnant and has been bleeding from the vagina for about two weeks, and that her husband (Lucas) had given her unknown medicine in the form of tablets to remove the pregnancy.
He said on examination, she has a normal cervix but blood was around the vagina.
Witness Saywon stated that they made a diagnosis and she was counselled before informing Jessica that pregnancy was terminated and returned to the trauma unit stable.
However, the case was rescheduled for Monday, March, 25 2024, after defense lawyers requested the court for continuance due to the defendant’s illness; as such, Lucas is the lone witness to testify on his own behalf.
