Police says 4th accused confessed being an accomplice
October 17, 2018
By Hassan Gbassay Koroma
One of the investigating officers in the on-going murder trial involving six accused persons, who allegedly murdered former President of the Pharmaceutical Board Association, Justin Ade Johnson, yesterday, told the court that the 4th accused, John Turay, had confessed to police that he participated in the killing of the deceased.
Reading the 4th accused’s statement to the presiding Judge, Justice Sam Margai, Police Inspector, Isata Bah, recognised all accused persons, adding that she obtained statements from some of the accused persons including the 4th.
She told the court that on 14th December, 2012, they obtained statement from the accused in which he admitted to the offense as charged.
According to the witness, the 4th accused told them that the day prior to the incident, the 3rd accused, Edward Joseph, told him that he had a certain problem at home and that he needed his help.
He said the accused had told the police that the 3rd accused requested that he spent the night at his residence, so that they could execute the plan first thing in the morning.
He further told the police that in the morning hours of November 12, 2012, they went to the deceased’s compound, attacked, tired him up and stabbed him before carting away his briefcase which contained some documents in it.
“The 3rd accused asked me to stand by the gate to observe and inform them if someone was coming. While I was standing, I overheard them calling for a sealed tape. I later went inside and met the deceased on the floor with sealed tape on his mouth, foot and hand. I also observed that the deceased was stabbed severally and was lying in a pool of blood before we took him into his house and searched the entire place,” the 4th accused told police investigators.
He further told the investigators that they left the deceased in the house and went to the beach where the 3rd accused met and gave them some money to share among themselves.
He added that the he received two hundred United States Dollars as his share.
One Alakeh Olive Johnson, Umaru Majid Cole, Edward Joseph, John Turay, Abdul Rashid Jalloh, Tommy Joseph, Alie Conteh and Chernor Bah were charged with the alleged murder of Adeyemi Justin Patrick Johnson.
They were alleged to have murdered the deceased on November 12, 2012 at Old Railway Line, Wilberforce, west of Freetown.
All accused were also charged with conspiracy to commit murder, larceny and arson, contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
However, all accused have been incarcerated at the Freetown Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road and Female Correctional Centre on Jomokinyatta Road respectively for six years, answering to the charges.
Justice Margai in 2018 granted them bail in the sum of three hundred million Leones plus one title deed each, but all accused are yet to meet the bail conditions.
Matter adjourned to Tuesday 23rd October for further trial.