After Eight Months in Prison, Supreme Court Acquits Liberia’s Ex-Chief Justice of Niece’s Murder

Liberia’s Supreme Court has acquitted former Chief Justice Gloria Maya Musu-Scott and three relatives of the murder of her niece, Charlotte Musu. Musu-Scott and her relatives were initially convicted in December for the stabbing of her niece in February 2023, conspiracy, and filing a false report with the police. They were sentenced to life imprisonment in January.

Musu-Scott is a prominent figure in Liberian law and politics; as such, the case caught national attention. She had denied the charges, stating that her 23-year-old niece was killed by an assassin who had entered her Brewerville home in Virginia, Montserrado County. Charloe Musu, a 23-year-old college student, had lived with the counsellor and the other three relatives since childhood. According to an autopsy, she was stabbed multiple times.

On Wednesday, Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh delivered the appeal verdict and stated insufficient evidence to link Ms. Musu-Scott and her relatives to the crime.

The state did not meet the burden of proof to warrant the conviction of the defendants. Therefore, the defendants are at this moment acquitted of the crimes of murder, criminal conspiracy… as charged in the indictment, Justice Yuoh ruled.

The Supreme Court noted that the evidence provided by state prosecutors did not clearly identify the person responsible for the murder. Local media also reported that prosecutors had earlier admitted the conviction was based on circumstantial evidence. A jubilant crowd greeted the released woman, who had served more than eight months in prison. Musu-Scott expressed relief but criticised Liberia’s justice system.

Her words: “There are a lot of innocent persons in jail in this republic. So I say thank you to the lawyers. But I say to them, there is still work to be done.”

Liberian women’s rights groups have called for justice for Charlotte Musu and stressed the need to support the acquitted women in rebuilding their lives.

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