By: Audrey Raymonda John
Mother Kashopeh Smith and daughter Remi Smith were sent to remand by magistrate Santigie Bangura of Pademba Road Court No2 over the alleged murder of Superintendent Arnold Adeyemi Coker.
The accused persons made another appearance in court and were arraigned on four counts charges of murder contrary to section 1 of the Offences Against the Persons Act 1816as repealed and replaced by section 1 of the schedule of the abolition of the Death Penalty Act 2021, Act No 6 of 2022, Perverting the course of justice contrary to law, Misprision of felony contrary to law and other related offense.
According to the indictments on count one, the accused, Kashopeh Smith, on Monday, 2nd September 2024, at No 37 Carr Street Hastings, Freetown, murdered superintendent Arnold Adeyemi Coker.
Count two revealed that the first accused, Kashopeh Smith, on the same date and place well, knowing the circumstances leading to the murder of Superintendent Arnold Adeyemi Coker that occurred on Monday, 2nd September 2024, and thereafter fabricated evidence with the intent to pervert the course of justice.
Count three stated that the accused, Remi Smith, between 1st and 2nd September 2024 at the same address, knowing well that her mother, Kashopeh Smith, had committed an offense of murder and unlawfully concealed the commission of the said felony.
Count four further stated that the accused, Remi Smith, knew the circumstances leading to the murder of Superintendent Arnold Adeyemi Coker that occurred on Monday, 2nd September 2024, and thereafter fabricated evidence with intent to pervert the course of justice.
No plea was taken when the charges were read and explained to the accused persons.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Joan M.S Bull led in Prosecution witness number three, Alhaji Macarthy, a Masoner. He confirmed that he had known the accused persons for over ten years in Hastings. He also knows the deceased and remembers what happened on September 2, 2024. Alhaji returned home with one Francis and met the first accused at Carr Street Hastings junction with Abass.
He noted that the first accused called him and said she didn’t want Francis to know about her affairs but asked to assist her with a motorbike. Macarthy furthered that they moved along in the hours of 3:30 a.m. and asked if Francis had gone and if people were passing around.
She asked to take a bike, but bikes were passing, so he ordered his own bike. Alhaji went on to say that the bike was parked in the back of the first accused house, where she called Abass Musa and sent him to the next junction to see if people were passing.
He spent some time at the junction, where he had a sound, and rushed to the first accused house, where he saw them lifting a dead body and loading it on the bike. He went very close to the said bike and identified the person there as the deceased. After two days, the first accused called him and asked to see her. She told him that she had been invited to CID, where she had made a statement.
She said anybody who disclosed what happened would carry its burden, and he made a statement to the police. Claudius Campbell and K Thompson cross-examined the prosecution witness. Meanwhile, Magistrate Bangura refused bail and adjourned the matter to November 20th, 2024, for further proceedings.
