By: Moses M. Tokpah
Liberia-A man believed to be in his 60s recently died in Margibi County from a serious scuffle that erupted between him and his 63-year-old wife over an alcoholic drink commonly known as pastis.
Our investigation has established that the fight started when the deceased identified as Amos Toleh reportedly evoked the fight between him and the lady also known as Esther Jenteh at their Gaylayla residence on the Borlorla Road.
Madam Esther Jenteh during police investigation disclosed that she and the man early on the morning of the misfortune purchased a glass of pastis each and consumed it before going to check on their fish baskets at the creek.
She explained that upon their return she started to prepare food for them to eat and while in the process she sent the man to get a few glasses of pastis for them to take in.
Madam Jenteh furthered that the deceased purchased the drink and returned with. Madam Jenteh disclosed that she drank her portion and of the liquid and gave her husband’s portion but he felt cheated and started making confusion with her.
At that moment, the wife added that her husband got agitated and allegedly attacked her. She said during the fight, she bit her husband and pushed him away not knowing he would have gone unconscious and later died in little or no time.
The lady indicated that she entered their house for her cooking materials but heard her elder sister Satta shouting with her name outside that the man had gone unconscious, and she was left with no alternative but to run back at the scene quickly.
Esther Jenteh claimed to have lifted the head of the deceased and laid it on her laps while checking his eyes but she realized that the man was dead. She told police investigators that it was not her intention to kill her sixty-three-year-old husband.
Contrary to her explanation, it is also reported that she allegedly knocked the man on his neck with a stake while another report has it that while they were in the fight, the lady held and pressed the man’s private parts thereby resulting to his death.
A source from the area disclosed that the man consistently embarrassed the woman something that led to the fight while other sources accounts have it that it was the lady who started the fight.
Meanwhile, a jury team according to the police, was set up to check the remains of the deceased and they identified that he was bitten on his right arm and they pronounced him dead.
A nurse who is an officer in charge (OIC) at a clinic in the region also checked and confirmed the man being dead according to police’s account.
Esther has since been charged with manslaughter and sent to court awaiting trial while the family of the deceased is being called upon by the police to take delivery of the lifeless body of Amos for burial.
But according to the police, the family appeared not to be ready to take the responsibility for burial.
Reports have it that family members and friends of the victim from the Barclay Farm area along the Kakata-Weala high way angrily moved to the place threatening to carry on arson against the town (Gaylayla) in revenge of his death, but the police intervened and kept the situation under control on the night of the incident.
The following morning, the family again reportedly went to attack the town but the police swiftly went in to calm the situation which caused a damaged on the house belonging to Satta the elder sister Esther.
