By Grace Q. Bryant
Defense team’s forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy on Charloe Musu, took the witness stand yesterday and testified to DNA findings that showed that she was allegedly murdered by a male intruder.
Doctor Matthau Okoye’s presentation was done through a flipchart, where he drew the body of the late Charloe Musu.
“There is a male who may have been more likely the intruder or evader of the house, who caused the injury or death of the victim,” Dr. Okoye further testified.
“The percentage confidence is more than 99 percent and 1 out of a billion, the use of YSTR DNA amplification and PCR, is that even if the suspect does not volunteer to give his specimen, his father or grandfather or male cousin can also be linked with the YSTR DNA profile,” he furthered.
This testimony contradicts the initial findings of the Liberian pathologist, Benedict Kolee, chief pathologist of the John F. Kennedy Hospital.
Dr. Kolee, in his DNA analysis, claimed that there were no X chromosomes (male DNA) identified, stating, “The DNA analysis showed that everything was family and there was no male identified.”
However, Dr. Okoye claimed that Dr. Kolee’s finding is not actually DNA analysis, instead, it is chromosomes Kariopiate.
“You can do kariopiate of a nuclear of a chromosome to know whether someone is a male or female; it is used in paternity testing, it can only show you whether it is female or male,” he narrated.
According to him, the next step of DNA analysis is that you have to get the DNA molecule from the gene and extract it, replicate it, and amplify it with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
“So that way, that is what we used here in order to get the analysis. If we used chromosome charisma type, we would not arrive at the inclusion of a male being a minor contributor with the left hand of the deceased. Now we got the STR (Short Tandem Repeats) that means amplification; if we install it, it can be kept for twenty years and we can get anyone anytime,” he revealed.
According to him, the DNA analysis on the finger nails clipping on the left hand of the victims identified it as a foreign male contributor.
“The swab of the blood spatter of the hall way, when we analyzed, is all consistent with those of Charloe Musu, no other contributor,” he explained.
He added that the swab of blood spatter from the window of the guest room window shows that there is no major DNA profile identified, it can be shown, there is no major profile.
Also, the doctor testified that the swab of blood spatter from defendant Scott’s bedroom, on the bedsheets, all show Charloe Musu’s DNA profile.
Charloe Musu’s DNA profile is completely excluded from Gloria Musu Scott, Rebecca, Getrude Newton, and Alice Johnson’s blood samples, but they are consistent with Charloe Musu because we got the DNA blood sample from the floor, house way, the children’s room, defendant Scott’s room, and her bathroom.
“We also compared the defendants’ blood samples with the finger nails clipping from Charloe Musu; the only DNA profile is that of a minor contributor, by a male, in the finger nails of the left hand, and now we have YSTR and we can use to match any suspect who was at the scene during the night of February 22, at which time Charloe Musu was murdered,” the doctor said.
He further testified that the intruder used a heavy blunt force weapon like a steel bar or iron bar, contrary to the police investigative report which states that the defendants used a sharp knife.
It can be recalled that Okoye was In Liberia in 2008 and 2009, when he performed an intimation autopsy on Angel Togba, a 13-year-old child, with the second case being the late Harry Greaves, as well as Victoria Zayzay, and now Charloe Musu.
