By Morlu F. Freeman Sr.
The resident judge of the 10th Judicial Circuit Court in Voinjama, Lofa County, has upheld a jury’s guilty verdict against 18 -year-old Kollie Morris who was convicted of murder in connection with the death of 55-year-old Olaman Kpakolo, along with charges of aggravated assault.
Judge Nancy Finda Sammy Kparkillen ruling affirms the jury’s decision after the defendant was found guilty in the case, which drew attention because of the severity of the violence involved and the age difference between the accused and the victim. The judge’s decision means that the verdict of a life sentence for murder including additional 5 years for aggravated assault stands.
According to the details presented in court, the case involved allegations that 18-year-old Kollie Morris was responsible for a fatal attack on his 55-year-old victim, as well as an additional aggravated assault charge tied to the same incident. The jury ultimately sided with prosecutors, finding their evidence sufficient for conviction.
By upholding the verdict, the judge rejected challenges raised by the defense counsel during the trial and signaled that the record supported the jury’s findings.
18-year-old Kollie Morris has finally been sentenced to five years for aggravated assault and life imprisonment for murder.
The decision marks an important step in the case, though further legal proceedings are still ahead after the defense council, Cllr Tobey J Raynes, did file additional appeal to pursue the case at the Supreme Court on grounds that his client was provoked by the victim; that the victim didn’t die on the spot and that the victim did arrive alive at the hospital but alleged that the victim was never attended to till the evening hours when he was pronounced dead.
Court observers say cases involving murder and aggravated assault often hinge on the credibility of witnesses, physical evidence, and the sequence of events leading up to the attack. In this instance, the jury concluded that the state had met its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
The latest ruling closes a case that has already moved through trial and jury deliberation. For the victim’s family, the decision may bring a measure of closure, while for the defendant, it leaves the conviction firmly in place as the legal process continues.
Speaking to Radio Kintoma news for the first time since the incident, 18-year-old Kollie Morris said these words, “I am unable to be in just one place for my entire life. If the court could say that I should be killed by hanging, that would have been alright for me. I am the only child for my mother who is crazy and my father is dead. I can’t make it, I will kill myself.”
