Harper City, Maryland County – The Liberia National Police (LNP) detachment in Harper has formally charged four individuals in connection with the alleged murder of Himmie Freeman and forwarded them to the Harper City Magisterial Court for pretrial proceedings.
According to a police charge sheet dated March 19, 2025, under case number HP-64-2025, the defendants—Sabastine Wilson (29), Joseph Y. Wilson, Joseph D. Wilson, and Francis M. Harris—have been charged with murder, criminal facilitation, criminal solicitation, and criminal conspiracy, in accordance with Sections 14.1, 10.2, 10.3, and 10.4 of the Penal Code of Liberia.
The police report indicates that on March 17, 2025, at approximately 3:13 p.m., the Harper Police Detachment received a distress call from Mr. George Appleton, Township Commissioner of Rock Town, alleging that an unconscious man was discovered along the road linking Middle Town to Rock Town. The victim was later identified as Himmie Freeman, a resident of Middle Town.
Upon receiving the report, a joint security team led by Superintendent Frederick T. Smith Jr., Chief Investigator of the LNP’s Crime Services Division (CSD), responded to the scene. Eight individuals were initially apprehended during the operation and turned over to the CSD for investigation.
The suspects were informed of their constitutional rights and assigned legal counsel. Cllr. Dominick Sworh, a former journalist and current public defender at the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court, was contacted to represent the suspects. Though he initially met with them, he did not return the following day as promised, for reasons unknown.
During the investigation, all suspects denied involvement. However, key eyewitnesses—Samuel Appleton (19), Alpha Wilson (16), Gabriel M. Walker (19), and John Bolen (21)—provided testimonies admitting their role in beating the victim, which reportedly led to his death.
According to the charge sheet, the suspects claimed the victim was accused of practicing witchcraft and was being “driven out” of the town when he was fatally assaulted. This revelation led police to formally charge four of the eight initially detained.
Despite continued denials by the suspects, investigators cited multiple statements suggesting that Freeman, believed to be in his early 50s, was accused by locals of endangering the lives of young people in Rock Town through alleged occult practices.
The incident has reignited concerns about mob justice in Maryland County. In a separate case earlier this month, the lifeless body of a young man, Papa Wah, was discovered in Pleebo Sodoken District. Some community members accused Wah of theft and claimed he was often seen acting suspiciously at night.
In response to the rising trend of extrajudicial killings, human rights advocates including Mr. Thomas B. Mawolo of the Civil Society Council of Liberia (Maryland Chapter) and Mr. Boniface Nyemah of the National Independent Commission on Human Rights (Maryland County Monitor) have strongly condemned these acts. They urged residents to seek justice through the courts rather than taking the law into their own hands.
Freeman’s death has caused outrage in both Rock Town and Middle Town. The police headquarters in Harper was reportedly overwhelmed during the arrest and processing of the suspects. The four accused have been remanded at the Harper Central Prison and await further legal proceedings under heavy security escort.
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