CRIES IMPARTIALITY BASED ON SENTIMENT DURING TRIAL.
Monrovia, Liberia – In the murder case involving former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott and three other members of her family who are now being held on remand at the Monrovia Central Prison, the State’s attorneys have filed an application for change of venue.
The State Prosecutors are asking the Judge to approve their motion in a ten-count document they present on August 2, 2023, to his honor Roosevelt Z. Willie, resident Circuit Judge of Criminal Court “A.”
If the murder case is tried in Monrovia, there will be a partial trial based on public opinion, according to government attorneys.
In their charges, the prosecutors highlighted a number of occasions that showed that at the time the case was first brought, there were sizable, unidentifiable audiences gathering at the Temple of Justice that were interested in the case.
Gloria Scott, a former chief justice, and three other members of her family are on trial for allegedly committing murder, engaging in criminal conspiracy, and giving false information to law authorities.
For the alleged offenses, Justice Scott and three of her family members, Gettured Newton, Rebecca Youdeh Wisner, and Alice Johnson, are currently being held on remand at the Monrovia Prison.
The prosecution highlighted in one of their counts that from the beginning of the case, many people have discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the case with passion, noting that at one point, the courtrooms appeared crowded while others were parading in the court hallways.
The State maintained that if the case were heard in Monrovia, there would be an impartial trial as long as there were unnamed individuals expressing opinions about the case on radios, televisions, and other social media platforms in Monrovia.
In some high-profile cases that are of public interest, both the prosecution and the defense may use the motion for change of venue. As a result of public interest in two high-profile cases, the trial locations for the murders of Oliver Dillion and Tarion Brown were relocated.
Only a nearby county may be chosen as the new location of a case trial.
Judge Willie is still reviewing the motion for a venue change before making a decision.
Reported by: G. Watson Richards
Contact: +231880381808
