MONROVIA – Criminal Court “A” Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie has denied a defense motion for the ongoing high-profile case to be televised, ruling that such a request would give the proceedings preferential treatment.
In his ruling, Judge Willie stressed that all cases before the court are considered matters of public interest, and existing judicial rules prohibit photography and recordings inside the courtroom.
“The request for a televised trial only serves to allow lawyers to grandstand,” Judge Willie said. “To grant such a motion would be to violate established rules and bring the court into public disrepute.”
The judge, however, deferred ruling on allegations made by the defense that six defendants were tortured and sodomized during the investigation. Instead, he ordered that the defendants undergo medical examinations at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital (JFK) in Monrovia to determine the validity of the claims.
The clerk of court has been directed to officially communicate with JFK hospital to carry out the medical assessments.
While the defense team partially accepted the ruling, they requested that the examinations be conducted at a private medical facility instead of JFK.
