The Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Bong County has sentenced Moses Lekula to five years after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Lekula was tried in connection to the death of his longtime friend, Old Man Kollie Flomo.
The guilty verdict has brought an end to a criminal case that began with a murder indictment nearly two years ago. Resident Circuit Judge Joe S. Barken, handed down the sentence on Tuesday, July 21, after approving a plea agreement between the prosecution, and the defense that reduced the original murder charge to manslaughter.
Under the court’s ruling, Lekula was credited for the two years, and nine months he had already spent in pretrial detention. He is now expected to serve the remaining two years, and three months of his sentence at the Gbarnga Central Prison Compound.
Court records revealed how the Grand Jury of Bong County returned a true bill against Lekula on Thursday, July 23, 2024, formally charging him with the murder of Kollie Flomo following a deadly confrontation that occurred on September 22, 2022.
According to the indictment, Lekula and Flomo had gone on hunting expedition before they visited the farm of Junior Tokpa near Naama Town, where they consumed palm wine.
Prosecutors said, the outing later turned tragic after an argument reportedly broke out between the pair. Investigators told the court that Lekula claimed he was denied permission to spend the night at the farm, and alleged that Flomo pulled a ladder from beneath him.
He further stated that Flomo later struck him on the head during another confrontation.
Lekula admitted to investigators that he retaliated by striking Flomo on the neck with a cutlass. The injuries proved fatal. Before the case proceeded to trial, the prosecution, and defense negotiated a plea agreement under which Lekula admitted guilt to the lesser offence of manslaughter. Under law, manslaughter involves unlawfully causing another person’s death under circumstances that do not meet the legal standard for murder.
During the sentencing hearing, Lekula expressed remorse, and asked the court for mercy. He told Judge Barken how he deeply regretted the incident, and that the deceased had been a “close friend.” After reviewing the plea agreement, and the presentence investigation report, Judge Barken imposed the maximum five-year sentence permitted under the agreement.
The court further ordered that Lekula remain at the Gbarnga Central Prison Compound to serve the balance of his sentence, and directed the Clerk to immediately transmit the judgment to prison authorities for enforcement.
