After two-year delay, the Unity Party crowd-crash defendant appears before judge

Published: September 9, 2025

MONROVIA — Nearly two years after a deadly crash outside the Unity Party headquarters that killed three people and injured more than two dozen, defendant Lawrence K. Williams will make his first appearance in Criminal Court ‘B’ at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia on Tuesday.

Williams, 34, is accused of deliberately driving a gray Hyundai SUV into a jubilant crowd of supporters on Broad Street on Nov. 20, 2023, after Joseph Nyumah Boakai was declared winner of the presidential runoff election. Prosecutors say he parked the vehicle near the Unity Party headquarters, turned off the headlights, waited for half an hour, and then sped into the crowd in what they described as a calculated attack.

Williams faces counts of murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, and aggravated assault in connection with the deaths of Mariana Kromah, Varney Suleiman, and Peter Gray, as well as injuries to 29 others. The indictment, brought during the February 2024 term of court, alleges that Williams “purposely, knowingly, willfully and intentionally inflicted bodily injuries” on the victims, many of whom required emergency treatment at John F. Kennedy Medical Center.

Liberian penal law defines aggravated assault as causing serious bodily harm either purposely or recklessly, including with a deadly weapon. Prosecutors argue that Williams’ use of the SUV met that threshold.

Although indicted more than 18 months ago, Williams is only now set to face trial. The case has dragged through eight court terms, with prosecutors justifying the delay by citing the need to gather sufficient evidence.

A court assignment order issued under the August 2025 term commanded all parties and their counsels to appear at 10 a.m. Tuesday before Judge Wesseh A. Wesseh at the Temple of Justice.

In addition to the three deaths, prosecutors listed 29 victims, including young men and women between ages 18 and 31, who sustained what they described as “severe bodily injuries.” Those named include Enoch Kollie, 20; Emmanuel Wilson, 24; Kolobalee F. Akoi, 31; Bundu Kelley, 25; Zanah Massaquoi, 18; and Kula Ansumana, 20.Several victims reportedly suffered long-term impairments.

The case is politically sensitive given the timing and location of the incident. Unity Party supporters had gathered to celebrate President Boakai’s election victory when the SUV plowed into the crowd, turning what was intended to be a jubilant evening into tragedy. While no political motive has been formally established, the violent disruption of a ruling-party celebration has kept the case in the national spotlight.