With the May term of court at the Temple of Justice Criminal Court "A" highlighting the case involving the murder of a Chinese female instructor at the Monrovia Vocational Training Center (MVTC), two medical doctors have been requested to appear in court to give medical statements of the alleged murderer, Mohamed Knoneh; Henry K. Bestman reports.

 

The judge of the Criminal court "A", Peter W. Gbeneweleh, also noted that the application for continuance into the case also reads that prosecution is order to ensure that funds are available to facilitate assignment upon the return to Liberia of the two medical doctors, namely Dr. Benjamin L. Harris and Dr. Gwen Vogel.

He said the court, during its November term 2007 appointed the two psychiatrists, one prosecution and one defense, to jointly conduct a medical examination on the defendant Mohamed Konneh, after he had allegedly killed the Chinese female rattan instructor, Sung Moon.

 

Judge Gbeneweleh then justified that keeping with law, which provides for the examination of the defendant, there is doubt concerning his medical capacity.

The court at the time received the medical report from the medical doctor regarding the incompetency of the defendant.

 

The prosecution then objected, which the court granted, requesting that the examination by the two medical doctors was not jointly done by both defense and prosecution.

 

At that point, after the examination of the only medical doctor, Gwen Vogel, the court then appointed Dr. Benjamin Harris to also be a part of the examination team, upon request by the prosecution, and the defendant lawyer be allowed to jointly examine alleged Mohamed Konneh.

 

The court, from that point, has received the joint medical report of the prosecution and defense been a part of the examination.

 

The court therefore issued an order on May 15, 2008 to the sheriff of the court for services and hearing of the medical doctors to appear before the cross-examination as provided by law.

 

This cross-examination by the two doctors is to testify to court and convince the court concerning the length of capacity of the defendant, Mohomed Konneh.

The report has therefore showed that the two defendants, presently out of the country, are to appear as by the court order.

 

Source: The National Chronicle Newspaper (May 21, 2008)