LIBERIA – The Monrovia City Court has directed state prosecutors to present the mobile phone of defendant Thomas Etheridge, a crucial piece of evidence in the ongoing Capitol Building arson trial.
Judge L. Ben Barco’s ruling comes amid a legal dispute over the prosecution’s attempt to introduce printed WhatsApp messages allegedly linked to Etheridge. The defense immediately challenged the move, questioning the authenticity of the extracted conversations and arguing that only the original device could serve as the best evidence.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the prosecution submitted documents purportedly containing WhatsApp exchanges tied to the defendant. However, Etheridge’s legal team raised concerns about the credibility of the presented records, insisting that without the phone itself, the evidence remained unverifiable. They urged the court to compel the prosecution to produce the device for direct examination.
Chief Inspector Peter Johnson, a prosecution witness from the Crime Services Division, testified that investigators retrieved the messages from Etheridge’s phone. The defense, however, cast doubt on the chain of custody, stressing that the court must scrutinize the device to determine whether the data had been tampered with or manipulated.
In response to the defense’s objections, state prosecutors acknowledged the need for transparency and agreed to present the phone. They requested additional time to secure the device, a request that the defense did not oppose.
After weighing the arguments, Judge Barco granted the prosecution’s plea for an extension and scheduled the next hearing for January 29, 2025. The upcoming session is expected to center on the examination of the phone, a decisive factor in determining whether the WhatsApp messages will be admitted as evidence in the case.
