Witness In The Capitol Building Fire Presents Audio Evidence Of The Two Key Suspects Planning To Buy Gasoline To Prepare Petrol Bombs

A packed courtroom fell into a tense silence as Peter Johnson, the prosecution’s third witness, played a WhatsApp voice recording that sent shockwaves through the ongoing Capitol Building arson trial. The audio, now at the center of the case, captured a chilling conversation between co-defendant Thomas Etheridge and defendant Eric Sasay—one that laid bare their plans to buy gasoline to prepare petrol bombs.

The courtroom listened as Etheridge and Sasay’s voices confirmed what had already been detailed in the police investigative report. But the revelations did not stop there. The conversation also exposed their brutal assault on a police officer, an attack that resulted in his weapon being handed over to former Executive Protection Service (EPS) members reportedly embedded in the protest.

State witness Johnson further testified that Etheridge played a critical role in orchestrating the attack, personally transporting the alleged perpetrators from Brewerville to the Capitol Building. There, they carried out their mission—setting the nation’s legislative headquarters ablaze. Sasay, Johnson said, was among those who overpowered and disarmed the officer before transferring his weapon to ex-EPS operatives.

Yet, amid the prosecution’s strong evidence, a legal setback cast an unexpected twist. Monrovia City Court Stipendiary Magistrate L. Ben Barco fined state prosecutors USD $100 for misleading the court by presenting National Security Agency (NSA) agent Lewis Jayjay as an officer of the Liberia National Police (LNP). The revelation raised serious concerns about the prosecution’s handling of the case, prompting murmurs among those in attendance—could this blunder affect the trial’s outcome?

As the case unfolds, the nation is gripped by the weight of these revelations. The Capitol Building fire shook Liberia to its core, and now, the search for justice is playing out in real-time. Will this new evidence seal the fate of the accused, or will legal missteps create a lifeline for their defense?

Liberians now wait, their eyes fixed on the courtroom, anticipating the next move in a case that has already etched itself into the country’s history.