By Melvin Jackson
MONROVIA – The Criminal Court “A” Judge Roosevelt Willie at the Temple of Justice has granted prosecution lawyers’ request to display a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) recording of the crime scene where an 18-year-old girl, whose lifeless body was discovered in the premises of the LPRC in Gardnerville, was found contrary to the account of the murder suspect of the 19 year victim who had stated that he placed her on a motorbike to go home at the Chicken Soup factory gulf.
Our judicial correspondent said the display of the CCTV footage of the crime scene in open court has given the trial a dramatic turn when the victim’s parents including the defendant and all prosecuting and defense lawyers viewed the footage and discovered the reality of the victims’ murder.
Upon viewing the footage, the mother of the deceased, Maima Sackie, broke down in tears and wept heavily after she watched her promising daughter, a high school graduate of the Hope International High School, entering a zinc shack with defendant Kaiser who returned from there without the victim.
In the video footage, Fatu Blasuah, was seen with defendant Kaiser, the murder suspect, entering a zinc shack from where the accused returned alone without the victim. It all happened during the hours in the old LPRC fence now housing many factories and companies in the country.
Taking the witness stand on Tuesday, Raffell Wilson, an officer of the Crime Services Department of the Liberia national police told the court and the jury that the accident occurred on the 16 of May 2022 in the township of Gardnerville. He revealed that when the investigators got on the scene, they observed that the deceased Fatu Blasuah, was lying in a pool of blood under a table in one of the many zinc makeshift houses within the industrial complex, formally LPRC Compound.
“She was seen lying in a pool of blood with multiple wounds on her body; thereafter, the country’s coroner including LNP investigator did physical inspection of the body and discovered that she had a phone and an earpiece.” officer Raffell said.
According to the Liberia National Crimes Services Department head, the investigators also discovered a green handled kitchen knife that was placed in the trouser, adding that they also discovered that the late Fatu was seen wearing a colorful jeans jacket with a blouse believed to be pink under her clothes.
He told the court that defendant Kaiser, and the late Fatu were in a love relation for some months and that May 15 at about 3:45 the defendant place a called to the diseased and they both appeared within the corridor of the industrial park as the defendant came from the direction of Shoes factory community while the victim came from the gulf, facing the Sethi Brothers Steel Factory. The investigator on the witness stand said the victim took 15 minutes to reach the direction of the defendant.
Raffell further informed the court that after seven to eight minutes, they could not be seen and that it was established that the both love bird went to the defendant aunty house in the same shoes factory community where they remain until at about 7:00, at which time they were seen back within the same industrial complex housing the Sethi brother factory.
According to the Chief CSD officer, it was also established that when the defendant and the victim first met they were walking side-by-side at about 7:00 or thereabout, but when the both of them appeared in the industrial complex, the victim or deceased was seen walking He told the court and the jury that before the commission of the murder crime, the defendant was seen wearing a phrase trouser with a T-Shirt believed to be white or cream.
“When he entered, he remained there Fatu had entered for some time, he came out later, without shirt and went to the identical zinc shack structure’s window and looked at his back. He then went back inside the structure and remained there for some time after which he later returned and went the same direction they came from.” officer Raffell explained.
The criminal investigator maintained that there is no evidence that when the defendant left the structure another, person went there until the 16th of May 2022, revealing that when the defendant got home at about 8: 00PM, he sent an SMS message to the deceased mother to put her at a thought that he did not know the whereabouts of the deceased.
Based on these circumstances, the Liberia National Police has arrested a 20-year-old man, identified as Valigton Kaiser, a resident of Iron Gate Community in Brewerville, for his alleged involvement in the gruesome murder of 18-year-old Fatu Blasuah.
It can be recalled that on May 16, at 6:30 pm, the lifeless body of the victim, FatuBlasuah, a resident of Chicken Soup Factory Gulf Community, was discovered with several lacerations on her body in the Old LPRC Compound.
Family sources said Fatu had gone to her fiancé’s residence prior to her death.
This, he said, prompted members of the family to launch a search for her. “We went looking for her everywhere we thought she could be but did not see her. We made numerous calls to her number but there was no response.”
Meanwhile, suspect Valentine Kaiser is presently at the Monrovia central prison while the case progresses with defense lawyers producing their first witness on Friday February 24, 2023.