MONROVIA- State Prosecutors have unleashed a triple indictment against a man accused of plugging a SUV into a Unity Party (UP) crowd during a rally in 2023, killing three and injuring nearly thirty others.
By Willie N. Tokpah
The grand jury sitting in Montserrado County handed down the damning three-count indictment against Lawrence K. Williams, accused of unleashing carnage on jubilant partisans of the UP during its post-election rally on November 20, 2023, in Central Monrovia, in what prosecutors now describe as a “premeditated, vehicular massacre.”
Williams has been formally indicted on the charges of Murder, Aggravated Assault and Criminal Attempt to Commit Murder, all felonies of the first and second degree, for what the Ministry of Justice is calling one of the most brutal, calculated, and politically tainted acts of violence in Liberia’s recent history.
According to the indictment obtained by FrontPageAfrica, the incident occurred shortly after 10:00 p.m. on Broad Street, outside the UP’s National Headquarters, where hundreds had gathered to celebrate the results of the 2023 Presidential Runoff Election, which had just been declared in favor of the UP’s candidate
The Night Of Blood, Darkness, Celebration, And Then A Crash
On the night of November 20, 2023, jubilant UP partisans filled Broad Street, chanting, dancing and waving flags.
The atmosphere was electrified by victory, but that joy turned into horror when, according to police investigators, an unmarked grey Hyundai SUV approached from the Gargar side, parked in front of UBA and International Bank and switched off its headlights.
For 30 minutes, the driver, now identified as Lawrence K. Williams, sat in the darkness, watching the crowd.
Then, without warning, the indictment added, he revved the engine, swung open the passenger doors, and with excessive and deadly speed, rammed directly into the crowd of partisans, killing Peter Gray, Mariama Kromah, and Varney Suleiman, and inflicting grievous bodily harm on 29 others.
Escape and Arrest
After mowing through the crowd, the driver reportedly abandoned the vehicle, mounted a motorbike, and fled the scene. But law enforcement agencies, acting on witness testimonies and surveillance data, apprehended Williams days later, linking him to the deadly rampage.
The Liberia National Police’s Crime Against Persons Division led the investigation, which prosecutors say has produced overwhelming evidence of criminal intent, planning, and execution.
Many of the survivors remain permanently injured. Several are reported to have lost limb function and others continue to undergo long-term rehabilitation.
The victims range from university students and street vendors to party volunteers, many of them young women and men in their early 20s.
The indictment lists 29 injured persons, including,
Bundu Kelley, 25, Female,
Enoch Kollie, 20, Male, Zanah Massaquoi, 18, Female, Anthony Ballah, 18, Male, Kolobalee F. Akoi, 31, Male, Favour Moore, Eve Moore, Mama Nyeleker, and others, each described as having suffered “severe bodily wounds.”
No Affirmative Defense
The Grand Jury emphasized that Defendant Williams has no affirmative defense.
According to Liberia Penal Law, Section 14.1 and Section 10.1, the acts of murder and attempted murder require proof of intent, which prosecutors say Williams demonstrated through.
In its careful observation of victims before the attack, the Grand Jury considered the deliberate disabling of headlights and calculated escape, all showing malice aforethought and conscious decision-making.
A Courtroom Showdown Awaits
Judge Wesseh Alphansus Wesseh Sr., Assigned Circuit Judge of the First Judicial Circuit Criminal Assizes “B”, is set to preside over the case, which has now been officially assigned for hearing on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00 A.M. at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia.
The prosecution will be led by the Office of the County Attorney, while Williams is expected to be represented by the Public Defense Office.
“This case will test the Liberian Judiciary’s Capacity to deliver justice in politically sensitive, emotionally charged and legally complex matters,” one legal observer told FPA on condition of anonymity.
Political Implications Loom Large
While prosecutors have not publicly linked the attack to a political motive, opposition figures and civil society activists have long claimed that the attack was part of a coordinated campaign of intimidation and terror aimed at the UP and its supporters during the tense 2023 Elections.
Human rights groups have renewed calls for heightened election security and protection of assembly rights, especially as Liberia gears up for Presidential and Legislative Elections in 2029.
FrontPageAfrica will be following this case as it unfolds in court this week.
