{"id":1422,"date":"2024-11-27T12:33:55","date_gmt":"2024-11-27T12:33:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/?p=1422"},"modified":"2024-11-27T12:33:59","modified_gmt":"2024-11-27T12:33:59","slug":"mother-daughter-duo-in-court-over-alleged-murder-of-superintendent-coker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/?p=1422","title":{"rendered":"Mother-Daughter Duo in Court Over Alleged Murder of Superintendent Coker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Mamajah Jalloh
Freetown, Sierra Leone \u2013 On Tuesday, November 26, 2024, mother Kashopeh Smith and her daughter Remi Smith were once again arraigned before Magistrate Santigie Bangura of Pademba Road Court No.2, facing serious charges in connection with the alleged murder of Superintendent Arnold Adeyemi Coker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both accused appeared in court on four counts, which include murder, perverting the course of justice, misprision of felony, and related offenses. These charges stem from a tragic incident that occurred on September 2, 2024, in Hastings, Freetown, where it is alleged that Kashopeh Smith murdered Superintendent Arnold Coker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Details of the Alleged Crime<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The police have accused Kashopeh Smith, the first defendant, of killing Superintendent Coker on the 2nd of September, 2024, in Hastings. Following the alleged murder, Smith is said to have fabricated evidence in an attempt to conceal the crime and pervert the course of justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, Remi Smith, the second accused, is charged with unlawfully concealing her mother\u2019s alleged crime and fabricating evidence to obstruct justice. It is alleged that Remi Smith knew about the murder but failed to report it, further complicating the investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investigation and Evidence<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During the hearing, Inspector Foday Borbor, attached to the Homicide Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), provided crucial testimony regarding the investigation. He recalled receiving a report on October 2, 2024, from Hastings Police Station about the discovery of Superintendent Coker\u2019s body along Amor Street, near a dustbin in Hastings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon arriving at the scene, Inspector Borbor and his team found the deceased lying on the street with visible injuries to his toes. They also found a brown damaged belt and a pair of old blue slippers near the body. These items were collected as evidence and stored for safekeeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The body was subsequently transported to Connaught Mortuary for a postmortem examination. Dr. Simeon Owizz Koroma, the government pathologist, conducted the postmortem on September 4, 2024, and issued a death certificate that confirmed the cause of death. This certificate was submitted as evidence in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statements and Further Investigation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Inspector Borbor also testified that he and Sergeant 8826 Konneh conducted voluntary caution interviews with both accused individuals on September 26, 27, 30, and October 4, 2024. These statements were tendered in court as part of the investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, during a follow-up investigation on October 4, 2024, the team retrieved a Baja motorcycle (with registration number AJK 079) from the crime scene. The motorcycle was treated as evidence and later brought to the CID for further analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On October 23, 2024, Inspector Borbor officially charged Kashopeh Smith with murder and perverting the course of justice. Remi Smith was charged with perverting the course of justice and misprision of felony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defense Cross-Examination and Adjournment<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During cross-examination, defense counsel Claudius Campbell Esq. asked Inspector Borbor to clarify the timeline of the investigation, particularly the retrieval of the motorcycle two days after the initial visit to the crime scene. The witness confirmed the details and acknowledged that a relative of the deceased, Vidal Coker, had provided a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his statement, Vidal Coker did not mention an event involving food and drinks but did confirm that Kashopeh Smith had been in a relationship with the deceased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the cross-examination, Prosecutor Bull requested an adjournment to present another witness. Magistrate Bangura refused bail for the accused and remanded both mother and daughter in the Male Correctional Centre. The matter is scheduled to continue on December 3, 2024, for further proceedings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Mamajah JallohFreetown, Sierra Leone \u2013 On Tuesday, November 26, 2024, mother Kashopeh Smith and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1422"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1424,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1422\/revisions\/1424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}