Monrovia—A 25-year-old man, Malison Garpeh, who allegedly killed his five-month-pregnant girlfriend and her six-year-old daughter, appeared before the Monrovia City Court on Friday, October 4, charged with murder and aggravated assault. The charges were brought by the Liberia National Police (LNP).
By: Victoria G. Wessehn contributing
During the preliminary hearing, Garpeh was remanded to the Monrovia Central Prison as murder is not a bailable offense. He confessed to killing his girlfriend, 21-year-old Promise Bowah, and her daughter, Faith Miracle Davies, aged six.
The tragic incident occurred on Friday, September 27, 2024, in HartsTown, Robertsville, White Plains, Montserrado County, where Garpeh and the victims had been living together.
According to court documents, police investigations revealed that Garpeh and Promise Bowah had been in a relationship for less than a year and were living together in a three-bedroom house where Garpeh served as the caretaker. Bowah had been living there with her daughter, Faith Miracle Davies, who was not Garpeh’s biological child.
On the night of Thursday, September 26, 2024, around 2:00 AM, a house occupant, Emmanuel Dehkee, sat on the front porch with Garpeh. Shortly after, Bowah arrived with her daughter. While on the porch, Bowah asked her daughter to retrieve water from their room, but the child was afraid and insisted Garpeh accompany her. When Garpeh refused, Bowah went to get the water herself. Later that night, Garpeh, Bowah, and her daughter retired to bed, while the other occupants, Dehkee and a couple identified as Alexander Jackson and Ruth Lackay, also went to sleep.
The next morning, between 5:00 and 6:00 AM, Lackay noticed a thick stain, believed to be blood, leading from Garpeh’s bedroom through the living room to the back door. Alarmed, she woke up her boyfriend, Jackson, who verified the bloodstains and tried knocking on Garpeh’s door but received no response. Jackson quickly notified a local police officer, Junior Carter, while Lackay alerted Dehkee, who also noticed the blood.
The investigation further revealed that none of the house occupants heard any sounds during the night. Garpeh allegedly fled the scene through the back door after committing the crime.
He was later found hiding in a cassava bush by local residents on Sunday, September 29, 2024, and was subsequently arrested.