
Monrovia – The Liberian government has concluded the presentation of both oral and documentary evidence in the ongoing trial of two men accused of orchestrating an arson attack on the Capitol Building, the seat of the Legislative Branch of Government.
By Victoria G. Wesseh, [email protected]
During Friday’s proceedings at the Monrovia City Court, state prosecutors announced that they had completed their case against defendants Thomas Ethridge and Eric Susay by presenting seven pieces of evidence.
“At this stage, counsel for the Republic gives notice that the Republic rests with the production of evidence—both testimonial and documentary—on this preliminary matter. We further request Your Honor to admit prosecution’s exhibits P/1–P/7 in bulk,” the prosecution submitted.
His Honor L. Ben Barco acknowledged the prosecution’s summation and granted the admission of the evidence.
Key Testimonies and Evidence
As part of their final presentation, the prosecution called Chief Inspector Peter Johnson as their third witness. On direct examination, Johnson testified that he had taken possession of defendant Thomas Ethridge’s phone, which allegedly contained critical evidence related to the case.
Johnson stated that when Ethridge was arrested, he was not in possession of a vehicle. However, on the day of the fire incident, both Ethridge’s vehicle and phone were seized. His vehicle was later searched for combustible materials before being signed over to his lawyer, Cllr. Jonathan Massaquoi.
The prosecution then requested the court to allow Police Technician Louis Jayjay to testify regarding voice recordings extracted from Ethridge’s phone, arguing that Johnson was not a qualified technician.
However, defense lawyers expressed reservations to Jayjay’s testimony, pointing out that he was not a police officer but an employee of the National Security Agency (NSA).
“This information by the prosecution is misleading and deceptive,” the defense argued.
They requested the judge to place the technician under oath in open court to clarify whether he is employed by the Liberia National Police (LNP) or the NSA. According to them, the prosecution’s first witness, Rafell A. Wilson, testified that this investigation was conducted by the joint security, which includes both the LNP and NSA. However, it is important to establish the correct role of each agency for the record.
The court, upon verifying the defense’s claim, ruled that the prosecution had misled the court by failing to disclose Jayjay’s actual employer. As a result, Judge Barco fined the prosecution $100, to be paid into the Judiciary’s coffers.
Despite this, the judge granted the prosecution’s request to proceed with Jayjay’s testimony.
Key Evidence from Voice Recordings
Testifying before the court, Jayjay stated that one of the voice recordings extracted from Ethridge’s phone captured a conversation between the two defendants discussing the purchase of gasoline to manufacture petrol bombs. He further testified that the intended targets of the attack were lawmakers and the RLJ Hotel.
Jayjay also referenced another recording dated December 17, 2024, which, according to him, was obtained after a protest near the Capitol Building. He stated that after the demonstration, some protesters moved towards Jallah Town, near the Conex Gas Station, and set up a roadblock.
During this time, Police Officer Amara Bility, who was en route to his post at the National Elections Commission (NEC), attempted to bypass the main road by using an alternate route through Jallah Town. Upon reaching Conex Gas Station, he encountered the protesters, who allegedly attacked him, beat him, and stole his weapon.
Jayjay stated that a recording retrieved from Ethridge’s phone captured Eric Susay reporting the attack to his “boss”.
“These are just two of several recordings uncovered during the investigation,” the technician informed the court.
Following Jayjay’s testimony, the prosecution requested that the court officially mark the voice recordings as evidence.
Court Proceedings Conclude for the Day
After cross-examining Jayjay, the defense rested its case with the usual reservations.
Judge Barco noted the defense’s summation and subsequently discharged the witness, thanking him for his testimony.
The trial is expected to continue in the coming days as the court prepares for the next phase of proceedings.