MONROVIA – A 25-year-old man, Bill Friday Ziah, who gruesomely killed the two-year-old daughter of a pastor, has told the court that he was possessed by a demonic spirit when he committed the act.
He made the disclosure at the second Judicial Circuit Court in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County on March 8, 2022 after the jurors handed down a unanimous guilty verdict against him.
The defendant initially pleaded guilty when the case was called on March 2,2022 but state prosecutors set aside his guilty plea and ordered the case to continue.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with convict Ziah he said he was unhappy due to manner in which he gruesomely murdered his pastor’s daughter whom he used to take care of and even take to church service.
“I’m regretting because of the way I killed the girl and I wasn’t myself on that day,” he said.
According to him, he doesn’t take in any narcotics, therefore, surprised at his own action and what led him to it.
He admitted that he gave pastor Yarkpazuah Pewee L$52 thousand for keeping but he was taking it bit-by-bit and it remained L$17,000 which he asked Pastor Pewee which the pastor delayed in giving him.
“Imagine four handcuffs were placed on my hands and as you can see the mark on my hands, I cut some from my hands to tell that I wasn’t normal and neither in my right frame of mind,” he said.
He disclosed that since the incident occurred, he has never felt normal.
Defendant Ziah spent seven months with Pastor Pewee of the Amazing Fire Ministry church in Rivercess County.
During the final argument March 8, 2022, Grand Bassa County attorney Randolph D.M.O Johnson prayed court to give maximum sentence to the defendant to serve as a deterrence for people who intentionally take others people lives away.
Attorney Johnson argued that convict Ziah was in his right frame of mind when he committed the act and his guilty plea shouldn’t be used to give him minimum sentence and if the Judge does so, they will file motion to rescind his judgement.
As for the defense lawyer headed by Attorney Aaron Kartee argued given the gravity or the manner in which the pastor’s two years old was gruesomely murdered indicates that the convict wasn’t in his right frame of mind but rather he was driven by a demon spirit.
The Grand Bassa County public defender requested court to take judicial notice of the case file and take notice of the statute of guilty plea.
According to Attorney Kartee, there is no need to put up a defense because his client his is guilty and begged court to take into consideration these questions:
Whether his client was normal or in his right frame of mind when he gruesomely murdered the two years daughter of pastor Pewee?
The court should also take into consideration the instance that led to his action in murdering the child.
Attorney Kartee pleaded with the court not to give life sentence to the defendant because he was controlled by certain demon do so given that he has no prior criminal record but rather he should tender justice with mercy.
Judge Zuballah Kiziku assigned judge at the second Judicial Circuit Court in Grand Bassa County has set next Wednesday, March 16,2022 at 10 am to confirm and affirm the jurors unanimous guilty verdict.
Meanwhile, the probation office at the Ministry of Justice has been given one week to do a pre-sentence report on the defendant character in order for the judge to make inform decision i n sentencing the defendant.