The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) at the Liberia National Police (LNP) Alvin James, second state witness in the capitol arson case, during ongoing preliminary hearing at the Monrovia City Court, said artifacts collected from the crime scene revealed that petroleum used to set the building ablaze was transported in a chlorax bottle.
James said it was established when they did their forensic analysis on the chlorax bottle which contained gasoline.
“Beyond that police communicated with the relevant authorities- Liberia Petroleum and Refinery Company to assist with the investigation in examining what would have been the content that was in the chloride bottle and results from the LPRC’s analysis provide it to be gasoline,” he said.
James said prior to this incident, there were meetings held by the defendants at the Invincible Park where they all agreed to set the Capitol building ablaze. Second meeting was held at PHP Park where they set a date and time.
It can be recalled that state first witness Insp. ACP Rafell T. Wilson incriminated the defendants to the commission of the crimes, including arson even though the trial started without any of the defendants in attendance.
In his testimony at the Monrovia City Court, ACP Wilson, the man who investigated the incident, said his investigation charged the defendants, after seeing communication between Ethridge and co-defendant Eric Susay about the burning of the Capitol Building on December 18, 2024.
Wilson testified that after the fire incident, the police and other law enforcement agencies were immediately deployed at the crime scene and rounded-up several employees including Ethridge, who was at work before the building was burnt.
According to Wilson’s testimony, these individuals were considered as persons of interest. He said when the employees were taken to the LNP Headquarters, police investigators managed to confiscate their phones, including Etheridge’s.
Wilson testified that while checking Etheridge’s phone, they discovered that he had earlier communicated with Eric Susay regarding the burning of the Capitol Building.
“We gathered the information about the burning of the Capitol Building from the telephone of Etheredge as well as the call log between him (Etheridge) and Susay and their phone numbers,” the witness testified.
Prior to the alleged discovery, Wilson said that the investigators had temporarily released Etheredge and other persons of interest to Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi. But after they noticed from Etheridge’s phone about the incident, they decided to arrest Etheredge and Susay, who were at a house belonging to embattled Speaker of the House of Representatives, J. Fonti Koffa, located behind the YWCA compound in Congo Town.
“When the police arrived there, Etheridge escaped and Eric was arrested,” the prosecution witness testified.
Prior to that, Wilson testified that on December 18, 2024 at about 05:5-20 (a.m.), several employees and maintenance staff, including James Mulbah of the Capitol Building, arrived at the premises and began to open the doors to the Representatives Wing.
When Mulbah had accessed the building, he started to open each of the doors from the east of the Capitol Building, meaning between the pedestrian gate and the gate facing the University of Liberia, where there are two doors, according to Wilson’s testimony.
He said one of the two doors is not regularly used, therefore, Mulbah managed to open the door that was regularly used; thereafter he began to open the remaining ones.
Testifying On Wednesday, January 22, 2025, when the Stipendiary Magistrate of the Monrovia City Court L. Ben Barco began preliminary hearing in the matter, Witness Wilson said a direct link establishing a plan for the burning of the capitol was found in defendant Etheridge’s phone conversation.
The hearing was as a result of a prayer made by the defense lawyers to order a preliminary examination of the defendants in keeping with the rights of the accused person under the Criminal Procedure Law Chapter 12.
Defendants Thomas Etheridge, Eric Susay and others are represented by Cllrs. Elisha Forkeyoh, Jonathan Massaquoi, and M. Wilkins Wright, while the state is represented by Cllrs. Richard Scott Jr, County Attorney, Jerry Galawolo, Augustine C. Fayiah, Solicitor General, Atty. Randall DMO Johnson and Atty. Alex Hawkins Younge.
Wilson said the JAC white color pickup bearing license plate HOR-98 is established to be one of the vehicles assigned to the embattled Speaker Jonathan Koffa.
He said during the December 17, 2024 protest that later turned into a riot, co-defendant Eric Sasay and his accomplice beat on a PSU officer identified as Amara Bility and his weapon was taken from but defendant Etheridge was not on the scene at the time.
Wilson said defendant Susay later during the day placed a called to defendant Etheridge informing him that, “they had dirty (dealt with) the policeman and Thomas in the same vain asked ‘where did you people leave him, and Eric said we left him lying down on the street at Jallah Town”.
Wilson said that all the defendants are employees of the capitol building except for John Nyanti who is a correctional officer that works with the Ministry Of Justice.
The witness, who is an inspector of police, said 65 individuals were considered persons of interest by the Liberia National Police, but defendant Thomas was signed for by Cllr Jonathan Massaquor.
“Let it be also noted that on the 18th of December 2024 the criminal complicity of defendant Etheridge was not known thereafter and during the course of the investigation; when the investigation was established that he had link, they decided to phone the lawyer to have him brought back to answer to his involvement into the arson attack at the capitol,” witness Wilson said.
On Monday, January 20, 2025, after hearing a petition for prohibition filed by state prosecutors against a Writ of Habeas Corpus that saw one of the major suspects Thomas Etheridge released to his guarantors to seek medical treatment, the Justice In-Chambers of the Supreme Court Yamie Qui-qui Gbeisay ordered Defendant Etheridge to be turned over to the Monrovia City Court in an hour time, at which time Magistrate Ben L. Barco sent him to jail along with suspect Eric Susay who was already in police custody awaiting court trial for the same crime.
The defendants were charged with multiple crimes ranging from Arson, Release of Destructive Forces, Reckless Burning or Exploding, Criminal Mischief, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Criminal Attempt To Commit Murder, Aggravated Assault, Criminal Conspiracy, Criminal Facilitation and Criminal Solicitation.
Others connected with the crime including Amos Kofa, Stephen Broh, John Nyanti, Grace Johnson and others to be identified, are said to be on the run.
After thorough investigation of the facts, police reference Defendant Susay’s involvement in the physical attack and stealing of victim Sgt. Amara Bility’s weapon including his involvement in the arson attack on the Capitol Building on Wednesday, December 18, 2024.
Police investigation alleged that the fire on the capitol building was an act of arson committed as the result of a conspiracy consummated by defendants Thomas, Eric, Amos Koffa, Stephen Broh, John Nyanti, Grace Johnson and others who had gone into hiding.
By T.Q. Lula Jaurey
