Published: October 1, 2025
MONROVIA — Criminal Court ‘B’ Judge Wesseh A. Wesseh has set Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, for the sentencing of Sam Worlobah, the unlicensed operator of the Lofa Medical Services Clinic, who was convicted of murder earlier this month.
Worlobah was found guilty on Sept. 15, 2025, by a jury vote of 10-2 for the death of Samuel P. Kollie, a patient who died following a botched abdominal surgery at the clinic in March.
As the jury’s majority guilty verdict was read in open court, Worlobah wept bitterly. Judge Wesseh discharged the jurors and thanked them for their service to the judiciary.
Defense counsel immediately excepted to the verdict and announced an appeal to the Supreme Court of Liberia.
Worlobah, who posed as a medical doctor, was indicted by the Montserrado County grand jury during the February 2025 term of court on one count of murder under Title 26, Chapter 14, Section 14.1 of Liberia’s Penal Code.
At his first appearance before Criminal Court ‘B’ on Aug. 14, 2025, Worlobah pleaded not guilty, triggering a full trial. His defense team, largely from the Public Defense Office, requested a jury trial.
Prosecutors, led by Cllr. Isaac Willian and Atty. Andrew A. Tellewoyan, presented five witnesses and one rebuttal witness. The defense produced two witnesses.
According to the indictment, on March 18, 2025, the victim, Samuel P. Kollie, accompanied by his sister Mary Kollie, sought medical treatment for severe abdominal pain at the Lofa Medical Services Clinic in Jacob Town, Paynesville.
Worlobah examined the patient by lifting his legs and pressing his stomach, diagnosing him with appendicitis and hepatitis B. He recommended immediate surgery and charged the family US $275. After Mary Kollie pleaded for a reduction, Worlobah accepted US $225 and performed the operation.
The next day, March 19, 2025, at about 10 a.m., the patient died while under Worlobah’s care.
The indictment said the clinic was not accredited by the Liberia Medical and Dental Council to perform surgical procedures and lacked the facilities and standards required for major operations. Worlobah himself was not a licensed physician or surgeon.
Under Liberia’s Penal Code, Section 14.1(a-b), a person is guilty of murder if they purposely or knowingly cause the death of another human being, or act with “extreme indifference to the value of human life.”
Murder is classified as a first-degree felony punishable by life imprisonment or death under Sections 50.5 and 51.3 of the law.
The court has instructed the Probation Division of the Ministry of Justice to prepare a pre-sentence report on Worlobah’s character within five working days to guide the judge’s sentencing decision.
Worlobah remains in custody as the court prepares to hand down the sentence that could range from life imprisonment to death.
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