The Third Judicial Circuit Court for Sinoe County, has sentenced five defendants to “life imprisonment.”
The men had committed the crimes of murder and criminal conspiracy in connection with the killing of one Rancy Jlepo.
The ruling followed a unanimous guilty verdict returned by a 12-member jury after deliberating for approximately one and half hours.
The jury’s verdict was confirmed in open court when each juror was individually polled, and affirmed that the decision represented their unanimous consensus.
Presiding over the matter during the court’s November Term, A.D. 2025, Resident Circuit Judge Geeplah Tikto Konton, ruled that the evidence presented by the prosecution overwhelmingly established the guilt of the defendants beyond a reasonable doubt.
The defendants, led by Johnson Saytue and four others, were tried on charges stemming from the murder of Rancy Jlepo. The prosecution was led by Attorney Mmonbaydo Juah, who presented testimonies from general and rebuttal witnesses, documentary evidence, and a Coroner Jury Report, all of which were admitted into evidence without objection from defense counsel.
The Court further noted that admissions made by the defendants during trial, including a confession by co-defendant Johnson Saytue detailing how the victim was transported to the crime scene and subsequently killed, corroborated the prosecution’s case and reinforced the jury’s findings.
Following the guilty verdict, defense counsel filed a motion for new trial, arguing that the verdict was contrary to the weight of the evidence and that the jury did not fairly express its opinion.
The motion cited several provisions of Liberia’s Criminal Procedure Law and Supreme Court precedents.
However, in a detailed ruling, the Court denied the motion, holding that the defense had failed to raise timely objections during trial, including objections to the judge’s charge to the jury and the verdict itself. The Court said, counsel’s failure to act amounted to waiver and laches and reiterated the legal principle that a court cannot correct errors a party failed to address on its own behalf.
Judge Konton ruled that the jury acted properly within its authority as triers of fact and that the verdict was fully consistent with the weight of the evidence presented.
Consequently, the Court sentenced all five defendants to life imprisonment and ordered their immediate commitment to the Zwedru Correctional Palace in Grand Gedeh County.
The defendants, through their counsel, noted exception to the Court’s ruling, and gave notice of their intent to take advantage of the controlling law.
The case has drawn significant public attention in the county, marking one of the most consequential criminal convictions in the region in recent years.
Source: Wroinbee Elton Tiah/Ablee-Jay TV