Guilty!

-As Journalist’s Killer Nailed

Jonathan Williams has finally been adjudged guilty by the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court in Bomi County for killing Journalist Tyron Brown in their Kingdom Care Community on the Du-Port Road.

The court sided with prosecution on grounds that it proved the crime of murder against Jonathan Williams beyond reasonable doubt as required in section 14.1 of the penal law of Liberia P. 794, Title 26.

Handling down verdict on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, Judge Nancy Finda Sammy mandated the Probation Service of Montserrado County to conduct a pre-sentence investigation of Williams and submit the report with the clerk of that court before this Friday, March 20, 2020, since according to her, a probation service has not been established in part of the Country.

Section 31.5 (1) of the criminal procedural law, P. 402 requires that a pre-sentence investigation be conducted as well as a sentence hearing prior to the imposition of sentence; and Montserrado County, being the County from whence this case emanated and the defendant also being a resident of the said Country, Judge Sammy sees it fit that the investigation be carried out in Montserrado.

Judge Sammy in her ruling considered two cardinal issues raised by Williams’ lawyers to include: whether or not the pleas of self-defense and temporary insanity are tenable to warrant the reduction of the crime of murder to manslaughter in this case, and whether or not the state established a prima facie evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to warrant the conviction of the Jonathan Williams on the charge of murder.

The Judge maintained that defendant Williams never informed the court that he told the police upon being arrested that he was temporarily insane during the events of the night of april 15, 2018, neither did he raise the issue when he testified during the trial, instead said issued was only raised for the first time by his legal counsel during final argument, which is two years after his arrest and incarceration.

She indicated that under the best evidence rule, it is required that “The best evidence which the case admits of must always be produced; that is, no evidence is sufficient which supposes the existence of better evidence, making specific reference to the civil procedural law, Rev. Code 1:25.6(1).”

It can be recalled; on June 5, 2018 defendants Jonathan William, Caesar Kennedy, Ernest Kermu, Alice Youti, Edwina Youti, Massa Kenndy and Joanna Bracewell were indicted by the Grand Jurors for Montserrado County for allegedly committed the crimes of Murder and hindering law enforcement.

The indictment revealed that on April 15, 2018, when the Late Journalist Brown had gone to pay a visit to Miss Edwina Promise Youti as he normally does, defendant Jonathan Williams, without any color of right, purposely, and recklessly moved on the deceased and inflicted grievous bodily injuries on diverse parts of his unarmed and peaceful body with a knife. TNR