Court Releases Dillon

By R. Joyclyn Wea

Criminal Court “A” at the Temple of Justice has released Oliver Dillon, employee of the Ministry of Transport and brother to Abraham Darius Dillon after few weeks of detention at the Monrovia Central Prison for allegedly killing one Emmanuel Kofa in their Gardnesville Community.

This follows a motion for bail filed with Criminal Court “A” Judge Roosevelt Willie by lawyers representing the legal interest of suspect Dillon.

Handling down ruling, after entertaining argument from both lawyers into the motion for bail on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, Judge Willie granted the defendant lawyers’ request to have their client release on bail.

Judge Willie asserted that a bail can be granted in a capital offense in a case where the proof is evident and the presumption is not great an accused can be placed on bail quoting section 13.1.1 of the criminal procedure law of Liberia.

Section 13.1.1 of the criminal procedure, titled right to bail, subtitled criminal offenses states “a person in custody for a commission of a capital offense shall, before conviction, be entitled as a right to be admitted to bail unless the prove is evident or the presumption is grant that his guilty of offense. On the hearing of an application for admission to bail before an indictment for the person of a capital offense, the burden is on the republic.”

According to him, the purpose for bail is not intended to free any defendant but rather it enables the defendant to be out of prison and come to court whenever he or she is needed, as in the case of Dillon.

However, the defendant is required before being taken from incarceration on bail to file the appropriate bond as defined by law and to bring five eminent persons in the community, with their photos and place of residence to be ascertained by the sheriff of the court where they live to stand as sureties for the defendant.

Judge Willie further said the accused while on bail will report to the sheriff office three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) at 11a.m. to sign the attendance sheet.

The Court indicated that any failure by the defendant when placed on bail to abide by these guidelines will leave the court with no alternative but to declare defendant as bail jumping, arrested and reincarnated at the Monrovia central prison.

Oliver Dillon was arrested in April of this year and charged by the police after whom he was indicted by the Grand Jury of Montserrado County for murdering Emmanuel Kofa, a resident of Gardnesville where he had gone to pick-up his reading glasses and laptop from his car.

The deceased and suspect Dillon are said to live in Gardnesville but far apart in different communities and that the vicinity in which the incident occurred is noted to be a crime breeding area, according to the police charge.

The police charge sheet further states that, the area where Dillon usually packed his vehicle is infested with criminal gangs and also apparently Mr. Dillon may have taken the knife with him because he and his fiancée were victimized by robbers on separate occasions.

Police investigation also states that while defendant Dillon was approaching his vehicle he was encountered by three men including the victim Emmanuel Kofa, one of whom accordingly was in possession with a scissor and engaged Dillon in the dark with aggression and malicious intents and surrounded him (Dillon). It was in the process that Dillon Pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim twice in his chest causing his two colleagues to escape the scene and they began to gather additional robbers who transformed themselves into angry crowd, ran after the suspect calling him rogue.

The police report further that a background investigation carried out to ascertain the reason while victim Emmanuel Kofa was at the supermarket at that time, the police was told by Kofa’s Mother Edwina Johnson and his roommate that the deceased has gone in that area around the supermarket to see his bossman even though the effort made by the police to locate the bossman has since proven futile.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice (Prosecution) excepts the ruling and gave notice that it will take advantage of the statue.