By: G Bennie Bravo Johnson, I
The Criminal Assizes Court “B” of Montserrado County, presided over by His Honor Wesseh Alphonsus Wesseh, Sr., has sentenced Defendant Bill Jallah to life imprisonment for the crimes of Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Criminal Attempt to Commit Murder.
According to the final judgment, “Defendant Bill Jallah was indicted, for the crimes of Murder, Aggravated Assault and Criminal Attempt to Commit Murder, by the Grand Jurors for Montserrado County, on March 6, 2025, during its regular sitting.”
The May 6, 2025, indictment alleged that on Saturday, December 21, 2024, “Defendant Jallah, under extreme indifference to the value of human life, stabbed Victim Process Zou Wesseh multiple times, on diverse parts of her body, with a silver knife (blade), thereby inflicting severe bodily wounds on her peaceful body.”
The court noted that Jallah had earlier attempted a plea bargaining agreement, but “this Court, thereafter set aside the proposed plea confusion agreement and mandated the Clerk to read the indictment to the defendant in open court so as to state his plea. The defendant was arraigned and pleaded GUILTY to the three-count indictment and then the court on the records, set aside his guilty plea and entered a ‘PLEA OF NOT GUILTY’ in his favor.” The defense later waived trial by jury.
During the trial, the Prosecution paraded three witnesses. Emmanuel Gailman, Human Resource Manager of Fast Nickel Entertainment Center, testified that he observed the defendant and two ladies at the bar. Gailman told the court, “I saw the Defendant reaching out for a knife, from his side and stabbed the fair color lady, and after which I saw bystanders running toward the defendant and the lady; and also I saw the defendant stabbed the black color lady, before he dropped the knife and started to flee the area.”
The second witness, Police Investigator Jacob Suah, testified that “Defendant Bill Jallah was apprehended by the Police from the Zone Five Base, located on the Duport Road, and was transferred to the Headquarters of the Liberia National Police for investigation on account of committing murder, aggravated assault, and attempted murder.”
The prosecution’s final witness, Montserrado County Coroner Abraham B. Ricks, testified that he constituted a coroner’s jury to examine the body of the deceased. He said, “They discovered a lot of wounds on the body of the deceased, from the head, shoulder, and arm of the deceased, which were measured in 6 inches deep, while some of the wounds were one and a half inches depth, which led to the death of the victim.”
After the state rested, the defendant testified on his own behalf. In his words, “I could not remember anything that unfolded on that fateful night. The deceased was my good friend and I still cannot believe that she is no more.” He added, “Since that event, I have been undergoing what I call traumatic experiences… I apologize to the family of the deceased; especially her mother and son and call on them for forgiveness. I also call on the Government to show me compassion and plead with this court to exercise justice with mercy.”
The court said that after reviewing the testimonies and legal arguments, “the defendant’s act of inflicting multiple bodily injuries on the peaceful body of the deceased, which led to her untimely death, was premeditated and deliberated.”
During the ruling, the Criminal Court be presiding judge referenced the Supreme Court’s ruling in Wilson Darpul vs. His Honor Williams (2012), the judge emphasized that “a murder is a hideous crime condemn by every civilization and faith of persuasion. This is because the act of murder extinguishes life, unarguably the most precious gift bequeathed to humanity.”
In his ruling, Judge Wesseh stated, “From the facts and circumstance presented by this case, it can be construed that the defendant, with savaged, deprave and premeditated mind, caused, planned and executed his devilish act, of stabbing the deceased to death, after he concealed a deadly weapon, under his sleeves, before he stabbed her multiple times on her peaceful body. Therefore, his proposed confusion plea should have no room in a civilized society.”
The court then declared: “WHEREFORE AND IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, this court hereby affirms and confirms the guilty verdict entered on the records against Defendant Bill Jallah; in that Defendant Bill Jallah is hereby adjudged guilty of the Crimes of Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Criminal Attempt To Commit Murder is sentenced to LIFE IMPRISONMENT.”
The Clerk of Court was ordered “to send a mandate to the Superintendent of the Monrovia Central Prison to give effect to this court’s ruling.”
