Cllr. Scott, Others Finally Indicted -Court Presses Murder, Criminal Conspiracy, False Report Charges

MONROVIA: Four months following the gruesome death of promising youth Charloe Musu who was mysteriously butchered in the Virginia, Montserrado County home of former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott on February 22, 2023, the Government of Liberia, through the First Judicial Circuit Court “A” of Montserrado County has formally charged Cllr. Gloria Musu Scott, Gertrude Newton, Alice Johnson and Rebecca Youdeh Wisner for murder, criminal conspiracy and giving false reports to law enforcement officials.

According to the indictment reached by the Special Grand Jury for Montserrado County, based on oath, defendants Cllr. Gloria Musu Scott, Gertrude Newton, Alice Johnson, and Rebecca Youdeh Wisner most probably than not committed the crimes of murder, criminal conspiracy, and false reports to law enforcement officials, in violation of Title 26. Chapter 14, Section 14.1 Chapter 10. Section 10.4, and Chapter 12, Section 12.33 of the New Penal Law of the Republic of Liberia.

In accordance with the indictment’s Murder and Criminal Conspiracy charges, on February 22, 2023, at about 10:00 pm, the Defendants Cllr. Gloria Musu – Scott, Gertrude Newton, Alice Johnson, and Rebecca Youdeh Wisner, with criminal minds and intent, armed with a sharp instrument believed to be a knife, and pepper spray, willfully, intentionally, purposely, and maliciously inflicted several bodily injuries on the person of Charloe Musu, including her chest, right hand, left thigh, and left armpit, which led to her death, thereby committing the crime of Murder.

 

 

The indictment furthered that it was on the night of February 22, 2023, around 10:00 pm, after the family had eaten and were all in the house, when the security guards assigned to the home of Co- defendant Cllr. Gloria Musu Scott heard crying sound coming from inside the house.

“As the sound got louder, security guards Anthony Musu and Zion Tarr approached the room window of co-defendant Scott and in that process, they saw co-defendant Gertrude Newton slid the bathroom window glass of co-defendant Scott, and upon seeing them, she started screaming for help saying “that the people on us in the house!” Also seen in the bathroom with co-defendant Newton was Charloe Musu, now deceased.

“After hearing from co-defendant Gertrude that someone was on them in the house, Security Guard Zion Tarr left to call Security Guard Moses Wright who was their commander, and told him that someone was in the house on the occupants based on what co-defendant Gertrude Newton had told him. When Security guards Wright and Tarr returned, they left security guard Anthony Musu at the bathroom window of co-defendant Scott. They went at the back of the house to co-defendant Wisner’s room. When they got at the window of co-defendant Wisner’s room co-defendant Gertrude Newton came and told him (Zion Tarr) to break the window bar if he had anything to allow them come outside. As instructed, Mr. Tarr broke the window bar with a cutlass and aided three of the Defendants, in persons to Gertrude Newton, Alice Johnson, and Rebecca Youdeh Winser, to get outside through the window.

“After the three co-defendants came outside, and being very concerned and apprehensive about the alleged armed robber, the security guard, Zion Tarr, decided to remain at the window with his cutlass to see whether the alleged intruder would come outside through that window, since there was no other entry or exit at the time.

“While standing at the window, some members of the community who jumped over and entered the fence, came to the window where the security guard, Zion Tarr, was standing, and managed to enter the house, through the said window, while the security Guard remained on alert at the window for the alleged intruder who never showed up.

 

“One of the community members, in person of Amara S. Tarwuleh who entered the house, told police investigators that when he entered the house through one of the back windows, he saw the deceased lying in the bathroom bleeding, and he helped to put her on the back of his friend by the name of OG Prof, who asked co-defendant Scott for the car keys. He furthered that co-defendant Scott gave the keys to his friend by the name OG Prof who gave it to one Mulbah. He stated that at that time, the whole house was locked so he asked co-defendant Scott for the back door and helped carry Charloe Musu, (now deceased), to the car to be taken to the hospital, and he returned in the house to continue searching for the unknown man who allegedly stabbed the deceased, but was never found.

 

“That in an attempt to cover up the truth about what transpired in the house, the Defendants decided to concoct a story that an unknown man entered the house and stabbed the deceased to death: but to the contrary, it was the Defendants who murdered the deceased after they were involved in an altercation, evidenced by the outlook of the room when the investigators appeared on the crime scene.

“That the medical/autopsy report established that the deceased was violently stabbed nine times on her chest, right hand, left armpit, and left thigh; and her face was peeled, indicating that the injuries were inflicted by a sharp object believed to be a knife, which is consistent with co-defendant Gertrude Newton’s statement that she was in possession of a knife: and the peeling of the deceased’s face was associated with the use of a foreign substance believed to be a pepper spray, which is consistent with co-defendant Scott’s statement that she did discharge pepper spray, and that the injuries sustained by the deceased led to her death.

“That the defendants, knowing what they had done was wicked and barbaric, and Co- Defendant Cllr. Gloria Musu- Scott, being an experienced lawyer and criminal justice practitioner, decided to lie by creating a story that would shield them from the gruesome act of murder. That is why Defendant Gertrude Newton narrated a story that no reasonable mind would ever believe: that after the man allegedly stabbed the deceased in the back, she took the knife from him., but he took it back from her, indicating that the multiple wounds found on the body of the deceased were inflicted by the alleged man who no evidence has established ever existed. That Co- Defendant Scott also lied that she pepper-sprayed the man in his face after she encountered him in the doorway of her room.

“That the Defendants with criminal minds and intent to destroy evidence, caused Co- Defendants Gertrude Newton and Alice Johnson to return to the house on the night of the incident, and upon which time, security Guard Zion Tarr saw them carry away a black bag containing several items, parts of which is suspected to be the murder weapon/ criminal agency.

“That it is observed from the facts and circumstances that the Defendants changed and concealed the blouse that Charloe Musu (now deceased) was wearing at the time of the violent attack on her person before taking her to the hospital; and also prohibited the investigators from entering a room in the house which was locked by Co- Defendant Gertrude Newton‘s lawyers, bloodstains associated with a torn bar, believed to be that of the deceased.

“That the Defendants willfully purposely, intentionally, recklessly, and maliciously committed the crime of MURDER against the peaceful person of the deceased, Charloe Musu, at the time and date mention above in a manner and form which is violent and barbaric, but tried to fake a story to deceive investigators.

“That the conduct of the Defendants demonstrates extreme indifference to value of the life of Charloe Musu, (now deceased), for the fact that the time available for them to take the deceased to the hospital to seek medication after she was allegedly stabbed by an unknown man, was the time they took to plan and concoct a theory of falsehood that they saw a man in the house who stabbed Charloe Musu in the back led to her death. Series of lies, falsehoods and delay tactics were done and executed by the Defendants to ensure that the deceased was helpless. For example, when the security guards heard the noise and came to the window, Co- Defendant Scott told them to break her window to allow her to come outside. Later she gave a bunch of keys to the main gate to the security to have it opened when she could have given them to gain access to the house.

 

“That they also used that period to change the blouse that the deceased was wearing when she was stabbed, as the nurse from the Faith Clinic Comfort Saydee told the investigators that Deceased blouse had no holes nor piercing mark on it when she was taken to the hospital: that Co- Defendant Gertude Newton also in an effort to strengthen their falsehood caused a delay to allow people enter the house when she left the bathroom of Co-Defendant Scott in no time and was seen in the room of Co- Defendant Wisner where she instructed Security Guard Zion Tarr to break the window to allow the come outside.

“That the Defendants were aware that pepper spray was used in the house by Co- Defendant Scott who said that she sprayed the eyes of the alleged suspect when she encountered him at her doorway, yet, they did not call for help immediately knowing that the deceased was bleeding helplessly in the bathroom of Co- Defendant Scott, while they were pushing the securities around just to delay, there and then, the crime of murder under circumstances which manifest extreme indifference to the value of human life like in this case, was committed,” the indicted stated categorically.

With regards to the False report to law enforcement officials, the Grand Jury found that Cllr. Gloria Musu-Scott, Gertrude Newton, Alice Johnson, and Rebecca Youdeh Wisner were in violation of chapter 12 Section 12. 33 of the New Penal Law of the Republic of Liberia.

According to the indictment, on February 22, 2023, at about 10:00pm, the Defendants Gertrude Newton, Cllr. Gloria Musu-Scott, Alice Johnson, and Rebecca Youdeh Wisner, with criminal mind and intent, willfully, purposely, intentionally colluded, connived, and conspired to commit the Crime of False Reports to Law Enforcement Officials after the murder of Charloe Musu when she was stabbed multiples times to death by the Defendants.

“That it was on the night of February 22, 2023, around the time stated above, after the family had eaten and were all in the house, when the security guards assigned to the home of Co-Defendant Cllr. Gloria Musu-Scott, heard a crying sound coming from inside the house. As the sound got louder, Security Guards Anthony Musu and Zion Tarr, approached the room window of Co-Defendant Scott and in that process, they saw Co-Defendant Scott “that the people on us in the house!” Also seen in the bathroom with Co-Defendant Newton was Charloe Musu, now deceased.

 

“That after hearing from Co-Defendant Gertrude that someone was on them in the house, security guard Zion Tarr left to call Security Guard Moses Wright who was their commander, and told him that someone was in the house on the occupants based on what Co-Defendant Gertrude Newton had told him. When security guards Wright and Tarr returned, they left security guard Anthony Musu at the bathroom window of Co-Defendant Scott, they went at the back of the house of Co-Defendant Wisner’s room, Co-Defendant Gertrude Newton came and told him, Zion Tarr, to break the window bar with a cutlass and aided three of the Defendants, in persons of Gertrude Newton, Alice Johnson and Rebecca Youdeh Wisner, to get outside through, the window.

“That one of the community members in person of Amara S. Tarwuleh who entered the house told police investigators that when he entered the house through one of the back windows, he saw the deceased lying in the bathroom bleeding, and he helped to put her on the back of one of his friends by the name of OG Prof. who asked Co-Defendant Scott for the car keys. He furthered that Co-Defendant Scott gave the keys to his friend who gave it to one Mulbah. He stated that  at that time the whole house was locked so he asked Co-Defendant Scott for the back door keys and she gave it to him, that is how he opened the door and carried Charloe Musu (now deceased) to the car to be taken to the hospital, and he returned in the house to continue searching for the unknown man who allegedly stabbed the deceased who was never seen.

“That, the police, having been informed of the occurrence of an alleged armed robbery, rushed to the crime scene, but the Defendants were not there. After seven days from the date of the incident, the Defendants conducted themselves in manners indicating that they were not willing to cooperate with police investigation, but rather took to the airwaves and various social media platforms, purportedly claiming that they were attacked by an armed robber. Co-Defendant Cllr. Gloria Musu Scott, in her effort to conceal the crime and mislead Law Enforcement Officials, granted an interview to media outlets stating, amongst other things, that her family had come under attack from an unknown armed robber and had in fact used pepper spray on the alleged intruder.

“During police investigation, the within named Defendants, severally and collectively gave false and misleading information by wrongly depicting a false picture of what actually transpired during the fateful night of February 22, 2023. The Defendants collectively informed the police investigators that an intruder surreptitiously entered the house at an unknown time, only for them to be attacked that night by the purported intruder. During a police investigation, it was established that there was no sign of breaking into the house, nor was there any trace of an intruder/armed robber.

“That Co-Defendant Cllr. Gloria Musu-Scott falsely told police investigators that on the night of the incident, she awoke to screams, and when she opened her eyes, she saw the deceased bleeding and bent over with what appeared to be keys on a string in her hands, that’s how she dragged her in her bath room, tore the window screen and began to scream through her bathroom window. She furthered that she came back in her room for her phone but she did not find it, it was there and then that she remembered someone had given a pepper spray which she located amongst her papers; and that when she was leaving the room, she encountered a man at her doorway and she sprayed him in the face. Later, one of the spare keys to open the door, and that is how they gave him her set of spare keys to open the door, and that is how they carried Charloe Musu (now deceased) outside to be taken to the hospital.

“Co-Defendant Gertrude Newton falsely and erroneously told police investigators that the deceased was stabbed in the back by an alleged armed robber, when in fact and indeed, the multiple wounds inflicted on the deceased were all seen in the front and at the left armpit of the deceased. Furthermore, Co-Defendant Newton said she had a tussle with the alleged intruder and even took possession of the knife that he allegedly stabbed Charloe Musu with. She went further to say that she encountered the intruder outside the house and they threw stones at each other. Co-Defendant Newton said: “when I got outside, I saw the same fellow I saw in the house standing outside telling me that he came to save me. I said no, the person took a rock and started stoning me. I also took a rock and stoned him back. While the person and myself were stoning each other, Ma Rebecca Wisner told me not to stone the person, I should come back

“That Co-Defendant Gertrude Newton could not have encountered the alleged intruder outside the house because the window had to be broken for Co-Defendants Alice Johnson, Rebecca Youdeh Wisner, and Gertrude Newton to exit the house, which at the time remained sealed moreover, by this time the alarm was made and the neighbors had joined the security guards in the yard.

“Co-Defendant Alice Johnson falsely told the police investigators that she was sleeping when her sisters Co-Defendant Gertrude Newton and Deceased Charloe Musu started yelling, and while trying to get off the bed, she felt a knife juking her on her side. She said that she started yelling and hid herself behind a barrel and later her sister argued over the key, but she did not see them again.

“Co-Defendant Rebecca Youdeh Wisner, also in an effort to mislead the police investigators, falsely told the investigation that she had gone to bed by 6:00 P.M. having had her evening meal, when she later heard a loud voice saying “they are on the old ma.” She also said that she heard Co-Defendant Newton saying “burst the iron, burst the iron”, when in fact, the iron that she said she heard Co-Defendant say should be burst, was the window bar of the room she was occupying. She said that within that time, Co-Defendant Alice Johnson said someone juked her on her side, and that she kept hearing Co-Defendant Gertrude saying “burst the iron.” Co-Defendant Wisner also told the investigation that Co-Defendants Gertrude Newton passed through the window first, then Co-Defendant Alice Johnson passed through the next, and she later passed through with the help of Co-Defendant Newton from outside.

“That all and singular the information provided by the Defendants to the investigation was established to be false, misleading, and erroneous based on the many contradictions. For example, Co-Defendant Gertrude Newton said that she woke up the deceased and Co-Defendant Alice Johnson, but the Co-Defendant yelled. Co-Defendant Gertrude also said that when the alleged attacker took the knife back from her, Co-Defendant Alice Johnson woke up and that is how he stabbed her on her side, but Co-Defendant Alice Johnson told investigators that when she woke up to the yelling of Co-Defendant Newton, she saw a knife juking her on her side. That Co-Defendant Gertrude Newton also told the investigation that when she came outside of the house, she saw the alleged attacker and they started stoning each other when Co-Defendant Wisner told her to stop stoning him, but when Co-Defendant Wisner was asked, she told investigator that she only heard Co-Defendant Newton saying that someone was stoning her.

“That contrary to the impression by the family that Charloe Musu’s phone got missing on the night of the incident, the deceased phone was taken by Co-Defendant Alice Johnson and given to Co-Defendant Gertrude Newton and was being used by Thelma y, Kollie, a cousin of the deceased. That on the very night of the incident, the victim’s phone number called Cllr, Gloria Musu-Scott four times-(23:06hrs:08Sec; 23:07hrs: 50 Sec; 22; 5h3:46; and 23:59:59Sec) which showed that the phone was still in the possession of the family. This was a diversionary tactic to sway the investigation away from the main suspect. Also Co-Defendant Cllr. Gloria Musu-Scott said on the night of the incident she could not find her phone, which the investigation proved to be false based on the analysis of the call log as she used the phone that same night after Charloe Musu was taken to the hospital and subsequently pronounced dead.

“That Co-Defendant Cllr. Gloria Musu-Scott did not escape through the window during the time of the incident as was widely insinuated instead, she used the keys to open the door of the living quarters and came outside through the back door after some community dwellers, to include Eric Odumagwa, Amara S. Tarwuleh, Mulbah Kamara, Lahai Sanor, and Patrick Johnson, had made their way into the house through the window that Co-Defendants Gertrude newton, Alice Johnson and Ma-Rebecca used to exit the house,” the indictment concluded.