Liberia: State Prosecution Witnesses Contradict Indictment in Charloe Musu Murder Case

State prosecutors’ witnesses testifying in the ongoing murder case involving former Chief Justice Cllr. Gloria Musu-Scott and three others have contradicted some aspects of the indictment.

The case revolves around the murder charges against Cllr. Gloria Musu-Scott and her co-defendants, who are accused of murder, criminal conspiracy, and raising false alarms. The alleged incident occurred on February 22 2023, when Cllr. Scott reported that a strange man attacked her family, resulting in the death of her daughter, Charloe Musu.

However, during the trial, some witnesses presented conflicting accounts compared to what was outlined in the indictment.

On Tuesday, September 13, state prosecutors’ witnesses, Moses Wright, a security guard from Genesis Security Guard Services, and businessman Eric Obumawu, testified, corroborating Cllr. Scott’s statement that unidentified individuals were present in her home on the night of Charloe Musu’s murder

Moses Wright, who was the boss of Zion Tarr, the prosecution’s first witness, stated that he had no knowledge of the situation on the night of the incident. However, according to Zion Tarr, he had informed Moses, his commander, after Gertrude screamed for help.

The indictment stated: ” After hearing co-defendant Gertrude screams that someone was on them, security Zion Tarr left to call security Moses Wright Wright who was their commander.”

Wright claimed to have handed over the keys of Cllr. Scott’s car to a mechanic after distancing himself from the scene. This contradicted the indictment, which stated that someone else received the keys from Cllr. Scott to transport the victim to the hospital. Wright explained that he trusted the man with the keys because he was dressed like a mechanic.

“I don’t know him but seeing him in mechanics clothes I trusted him,” he said when asked in court.

The indictment reads: “One of the community members in person of Amara Tarwuleh who entered the house told police investigators that his friend OG Prof asked defendant Scott for her car keys but later gave it to One Mulbah to take the victim to the hospital”

In his testimony, Wright also asserted that he knew all the occupants of the former Chief Justice’s home, and the individual in question was unfamiliar to him.

Similarly, the state prosecutors’ second witness on September 13 stated that another unknown person had brought Charloe Musu out of the house to be taken to the hospital. He noted that he was hired on February 5, 14, and 25 to provide security at Cllr. Scott’s residence and had no prior knowledge of the events on February 8 and 9. He stated that while Zion Tarr was breaking the window bar, he did not hear any noise but later observed unfamiliar individuals in the compound.

These testimonies conflicted with the indictment, which implicated the defendants in the murder. According to the indictment, a neighbor named Amara S. Tarwuleh claimed that Cllr. Scott had given her car keys to his (Tarwuleh) friend identified as OG Prof to transport the victim to the hospital. However, in court, Wright stated that he was in possession of the keys, with Wright later handing them to the man dressed as a mechanic.

Eric Obumawu, a businessman and neighbor to the defendants, testified that he arrived at Cllr. Scott’s home between 9:30 pm and 10 pm on the night of the incident, driven by loud screams and cries for help from the compound. He encountered a locked gate and was initially told the keys were unavailable. He tried to used a ladder to access the compound but the height of the fence prevented him. After his return the gate was opened. Obumawu also mentioned that he noticed the damaged window and smelled pepper spray, consistent with Cllr. Scott’s previous statements.

These testimonies provided a different perspective compared to the police findings and the indictment. The ongoing trial involves the former Chief Justice of Liberia, Gloria Musu-Scott, and three others, who are facing charges of murder, giving false statements to law enforcement officials, and criminal conspiracy.

Judge Roosevelt Willie has scheduled the next hearing for Friday, September 15, with another witness expected to testify.