Monrovia – Renowned Liberian pathologist, Dr. Benedict Kolee, who was trained by the United Nations, has responded sharply to a Daily Observer newspaper publication from Thursday, September 5, 2024. The article contained claims that he, along with a Nigerian pathologist hired by the defense, failed to find male DNA at the home of Cllr. Gloria Musu Scott, where the murder of Charloe Musu occurred.
The Daily Observer article, titled “Pathologist Kolee Misled Judge, Jury, Supreme Court Says in Charloe Musu Murder Case,” quoted Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Gyapay Youh as stating that Dr. Kolee had misled the court during the trial. The Chief Justice reportedly said that Dr. Kolee’s testimony—that all DNA samples collected from the crime scene and the victim were female—led to a not-guilty verdict for former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott and her three family members.
In a statement released over the weekend, Dr. Kolee asserted that while he does not intend to comment further on a case already decided by the Supreme Court, he stands by his testimony provided during the trial. He reiterated that Charloe Musu had been stabbed to death.
“I STAND BY ALL STATEMENTS MADE IN COURT during the hearing of the said case,” Dr. Kolee said. I wish to state in clear and unequivocal terms that NO wrongs were done my me and my team in the said case; the wrong doers in this case are those who maliciously stabbed Charloe Musu at least nine times leading to her eventual murder.”
Dr. Kolee also urged the judiciary to focus on finding Charloe Musu’s killers, emphasizing that continuing the case in the “court of public opinion” is an injustice to his professional contributions to Liberia’s criminal justice system.
He recalled that on the night of February 22, 2023, three security guards were on duty at the heavily secured home of former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott when one of them raised an alarm that Charloe Musu had been crying for hours. The other guards dismissed it as discipline from the “Oldma.” However, the guard later found Gertrude Newton, one of the defendants, standing by a window, alarmed that an attacker was inside. Shortly afterward, Charloe’s half-dead body was found in a bathroom.
Cllr. Scott later stated in a police interview that she had pepper-sprayed the attacker, though no attacker was found when first responders arrived.
Dr. Kolee mentioned that while an investigation was launched immediately, it was delayed for nearly three weeks after misleading information was given by Cllr. Verdier. The false lead negatively impacted public perception and hindered the investigation, he said.
When former Justice Scott was finally questioned, Dr. Kolee’s team was tasked with conducting an autopsy to determine the scientific cause of death. He noted that Scott requested to view Charloe Musu’s remains before the autopsy. Though this request was granted, Dr. Kolee insisted that it be done under strict supervision since the body was critical evidence.
Scott filmed the injuries on Charloe’s body, although her request to view the back of the deceased was denied. Dr. Kolee explained that while the defense team criticized the autopsy report and sought a second opinion, he opposed releasing Charloe’s remains for burial, as the case was still in court. Nevertheless, permission was granted to Cllr. Augustine Fayiah to bury the remains, but fortunately, this did not happen before the second autopsy.
Dr. Kolee expressed concerns over the handling of the second autopsy, conducted by Nigerian pathologist Dr. Mathias Okoye, who was hired by Scott’s legal team. He clarified that Dr. Okoye was not an independent pathologist, as some believed, but was accountable to the defense. Additionally, Okoye arrived with his family and a retired police officer, causing Dr. Kolee to question the legitimacy of his methods.
Dr. Kolee recounted when they went to retrieve Charloe’s body, they found the freezer at St. Moses Funeral Home had been off for weeks, and the body had started to decay. Despite this, Dr. Okoye praised the preservation of the remains, a view Dr. Kolee found questionable.
The Nigerian pathologist also visited Scott’s home to collect DNA samples. Dr. Kolee pointed out that contrary to what the Supreme Court reportedly said, Dr. Okoye’s tests revealed no male DNA at the crime scene, with all samples from Charloe showing female DNA markers.
Dr. Kolee further noted Okoye’s claim that the murderer was likely male and stronger than the defendants was baseless and unscientific. He also recalled that despite the jury initially voting for a guilty verdict, the Supreme Court later acquitted Scott and her co-defendants.
In his statement, Dr. Kolee decried attempts to scapegoat him for the acquittal and challenged the court to bring Charloe Musu’s killers to justice. He emphasized that the release of Scott and the others cannot be the end of the case, stating, “Charloe deserves justice!”
“As if this was not bad enough, there have been attempts to find a scapegoat and continue this controversial case in the court of public opinion. I don’t deserve to be used as a scapegoat in this case. I am a renown Medical Doctor trained to save lives. I further take this time to challenge the courts to use the alleged DNA evidence or any other evidence to quickly bring the murder(s) of our dear Charloe Musu to Justice. The release of the former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott and three former murder convicts from prison cannot be the end of this case, Charloe deserves justice!”
