MONROVIA: It seems the dragnet of investigation and possible conviction still haunts an American citizen, Lucas Ricards, even though he recently survived Liberia’s lean and fluid judicial system. The Liberian public and wider world were shaken a year ago when a Liberian girl, soaked in blood with throat lacerated, reported that her suiter, Richards, who took her outside of the city Monrovia into the woods had attempted to murder her but was rescued by a Good Samaritan passerby. Lucas Richard was canned and submitted to the Liberian justice but the somewhat well-to-do American engineered his way out, receiving a controversial acquittal judgment. Before inks got dried on news of his release, he fled the country with the speed of light, leaving the disfigured, impoverished girl and her family in awe and groan. But if what the ever-alert civil society organization, STAND, is anything to go by, then Mr. Richard’s days for fair, transparent justice are numbered. The Analyst reports.
Amidst the widespread condemnation and disappointment that greeted the acquittal verdict of the American missionary, Lucas Richards, who was accused of attempted murder of Miss Jessica Lloyd and his subsequent unceremonious departure from the country, the Solidary and Trust for a New Day, STAND-Movement, has announced in Monrovia that the American will still be prosecuted, this time in his home country, the United States of America.
The founder and chief executive officer of the organization, Mulbah Morlu, made the discloser when he spoke to newsmen yesterday, Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at the scene of the attempted murder in Palm farm Community, Dixville, Montserrado County.
Morlu described the ruling which handed by Judge Nelson Chindeh in favor the Mr. Richards as “barbaric, cruel, and beyond the imagination of mankind.”
According to Mr. Morlu, who is former Chairman of the then ruling Coalition for Democratic Change, “Miss Lloyd can be any one’s child, sister, or daughter that should be protected at all times, but regrettably people sat back and watched Jessica and her family go through an unforgettable pain”.
“We have concluded with partners in the United States and other American lawyers for the prosecution of Mr. Lucas Richards in the United States,” Mr. Morlu divulged.
“This matter is not about America, but a single man who attempted killing an innocent lady in cold blood broad day but our judge says, the culprit is not guilty,” he further asserted, averring that Lucas would not go with impunity because “we will use the laws of America to seek justice for Jessica Lloyd.”
Lucas Richards’ acquittal verdict came after a legal battle between the government prosecution team, and the defense, representing the accused.
Richards’ acquittal from the charge of Criminal Attempt to Commit Murder was met with curses from his accuser, Jessica Lloyd, in a dramatic scene outside the Temple of Justice following Judge Nelson Chinneh’s final ruling.
In his ruling, Judge Chinneh noted that the evidence presented by the prosecution was insufficient and that the witnesses’ testimonies contradict each other.
The discrepancy in testimonies led the judge to conclude that Richards was not guilty of the crimes of Aggravated Assault and Criminal Attempt to Commit Murder.
Morlu said, Judge Nelson Chinneh is a corrupt judge that should be injected from the justice system of the land, adding that the ruling against Miss. Lloyd has exposed how compromised Judge Chinneh had been.
In September 2023, Jessica Lloyd, a young Liberian lady, nearly lost her life when her throat was slit by an American missionary named Lucas Richards.
Lucas was sent to Liberia by Creek Side Church in Urbandale to support the church’s work in rural Liberia, and Jessica was his student.
Although legally married in the US, Lucas married Jessica in a traditional wedding in Monrovia in the presence of her parents and other family members.
Jessica became pregnant with Lucas’ but he illegally administered medication to abort the pregnancy and continued to be involved with her.
When the church in Liberia became aware of Lucas’ affair with Jessica, he attempted to kill her by the roadside with a knife and also physically attacked her with a wrench.
However, he was caught in the act and apprehended by passersby who handed him over safely to the Liberian National Police.
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