By: G Bennie Bravo Johnson
The Monrovia City Court has sent to jail an untrained firearm carrier of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), Charles Joefula.
Defendant Joefula was arrested on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, at his Zinc Camp residence in Logan Town, following the alleged killing of his girlfriend, Jonnete Smallwood.
City Court Judge Ben Barco decided to send the LDEA officer to the Monrovia Central Prison after Joefula made his court appearance.
According to the police investigation, the incident occurred on August 21, when the LDEA officer, a resident of the Logan Town community, mistakenly fired a single-barrel Shotgun that led to the death of his Girlfriend.
Police investigation detailed that on that evening, defendant Joefula after work went in search of his friend, identified as Moses Sumo, sitting with his spouse, Mama Weah at their usual entertainment center in the Zinc Camp Community in LoganTown, a suburb of Monrovia, where they often met after working hours. While sitting, defendant Joefula placed a call to his girlfriend victim Smallwood who was at a different location to come over for amusement.
While they were seated at the spot, defendant Joefula who had a single-barrel Shotgun carelessly handled the weapon that fired and caused the death of victim Smallwood.
Police investigation noted that the two never had any prior arguments or confusion when the incident took place.
LNP investigation also revealed that Defendant Joefula who has no experience or training in the usage of Firearms, negligently caused the death of his Girlfriend.
Eyewitnesses recount that after he had shot the gun, he was heard saying,” I mistakenly killed my girlfriend”.
After being shot, victim Smallwood was immediately taken to a community clinic where she was transferred to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead upon arrival.
For this reason, the defendant was charged with the crimes of Manslaughter and the Possession of and Sale of Physical Objects for lethal use.
Under the constitution, a person is guilty of manslaughter if he: Recklessly causes the death of another human being; or Causes the death of another human being under circumstances that would be murder except that he causes the death under the influence of extreme emotional disturbance for which there is a reasonable excuse. And unlike murder, Manslaughter is a second-degree felony that requires a few years of a prison sentence.
The act committed by the defendant violates Chapter 17, Section 17.11, and Chapter 14, Section 14. 2 of the Revised Penal Code of Liberia. He is remanded at the Monrovia central prison pending a court trial.
