Associate Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay, presiding in the Chamber, has ordered the State to release suspect Thomas Etheridge to the court.
Associate Gbeisay’s order was based on the Monday, January 20, 2025, conference, which arose from a petition for a Writ of Prohibition prayed for by State prosecutors, seeking the overturned ruling of Criminal Court “B” Judge Koiboi concerning suspect Thomas Etheridge. The suspect was escorted by officers of the Liberia National Police to the Monrovia City Court, where a writ was served on him by the court. He was presented to court following an hour ultimatum by Associate Justice Gbeisay for the suspect to be brought under the jurisdiction of the court.
Etheridge and the others at large were charged with the crimes of Arson, Criminal Mischief, Criminal Conspiracy, Criminal Solicitation, Criminal Intent to Commit Murder, Aggravated Assault, Illegal Possession of a Firearm, Release of Distribution Forcer, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, and Theft of Property.
The other accused on the police charged sheet are Amos Kofa, Eric Susay, and others.
According to the writ, the actions caused a total damage of US$1.8 million, noting that the defendants criminally connived and conspired to purchase gasoline on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 in order to set the place ablaze.
Suspect Thomas Isaac Etheridge being escorted to court
At the same time, the Liberia National Police also forwarded to court a 39-year-old man, identified as Eric Susay in connection with the Capitol building incident.
During police finding, Defendant Susay again indicated that Etheridge told him to keep his cell phone on and that he would call him if anything as he (Etheridge) had men at the Capitol Building that would help him carry out the operation, but Etheridge did not call nor text him until the Joint Chamber of the Capitol Building caught fire and burned. Susay allegedly told a team of investigators that on January 4, 2025 at about 2:00pm, Thomas Etheridge and him met at the embattled House Speaker Koffa’s residence where Etheridge informed him that some Police and NSA officers went to his house in search of him but he managed to escape and that he had been sleeping with Grace and Patience, employees in Rep. Koffa’s office. Defendant Susay concluded that some friends advised Etheridge to seek refuge to any nearby country.
The documents said on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, an investigation on the Capitol Building fire incident was an act of arson committed as the result of a conspiracy consummated by the defendants, including Thomas Etheridge, Eric Susay, Amos Koffa, Stephen Broh, John Nyanti, Grace Johnson, and others who had gone into the Capitol Building and hidden themselves.
The documents said that the fire which was the result of ARSON started between 0600hrs to 0645hrs on December 18, 2024. The fire completely burnt the Joint Chamber, the fourth floor, and all of the properties.
According to the court documents, Etheridge, Susay, and others were brought in for questioning. The investigation action was to purposely find any potential criminal link to the fire incident.
According to the investigation, it was uncovered that before December 18, 2024, Defendant Susay was
assigned at the House of Representatives’ Maintenance Department as an elevator operator, while Thomas Isaac Etheridge AKA Tom, was Maintenance Director and Grace Johnson, Protocol Officer. All were assigned in the office of Speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa, including Amos Koffa, Supervisor at the Maintenance Department, Stephen Broh, employee of the Capitol Building and John Nyanti, a Correction Officer, as well as their cohorts to be identified were involved in the conspiracy and planned to burn the Capitol Building.
Investigation revealed, that on December 17, 2024, during the evening hours, there was a telephone conversation in which Defendant Susay was heard telling Defendant Etheridge that they had “dirtied a police officer and left him lying on the street at Jallah town.” In continuation of their conversation, Susay further alleged, “We took away the officer gun and gave it to a former EPS officer.”
Defendant Susay requested Defendant Etheridge to give him money to purchase gas so that he could prepare petrol bombs to attack police officers, Rep. James Kolleh’s house, located in Congo Town, the RLJ Hotel, where opposing lawmakers were meeting, and vehicles belonging to members of
the Majority Bloc.
