Post a comment
Sylvester Patrick Kamara, the elder brother of Sia Fatu Kamara, has revealed that he broke down in tears after seeing his sister’s body with a cut on her lip and blood stains in her mouth.
Abdul Kpaka is currently on trial for murder after being accused by the police of killing his girlfriend, Sia Fatu Kamara, at his Goderich residence in Freetown.
State prosecutor Yusuf Isaac Sesay led witness Kamara, who introduced himself as the elder brother of the deceased. Kamara testified that he only became aware of Kpaka after the incident occurred.
He recalled receiving a call from his mother on August 13, 2024, informing him that Sia was seriously ill and had been taken to the Emergency Hospital. As he was processing the news, his mother called back within ten minutes to tell him that Sia had passed away.
Kamara explained that he later received another call informing him that Sia’s body had been brought to her residence at 6 Metchem, Goderich. Upon arriving at the address, he found his younger sister, a pastor, and others praying, while Kpaka was sitting beside Sia’s body, which was wrapped in a blanket with her face exposed.
This is when Kamara noticed a cut on her upper lip and blood stains in her mouth
“When I saw the cut on her upper lip and the blood in her mouth, I broke down and wept,” Kamara told the court.
He explained that he left the room in tears and later ran into Sia’s boss at the Freetown City Council, Madam Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, the Mayor of Freetown, along with some of her staff. Kamara said they discussed plans for transferring Sia’s body to a funeral home, and one of the council staff members provided him with the contact information for Virtues Funeral Home.
Kamara said he called the funeral home and provided directions to Sia’s residence. When the van from Virtues Funeral Home arrived at around 2 p.m., the pastor was still praying. Kamara stated that he called his mother and other relatives in the U.S. to get approval to transfer the body to the funeral home, which they granted.
Along with Kpaka and other family members, Kamara accompanied the body to Virtues Funeral Home in Kingtom.
Upon arrival around 4:30 p.m., they were given a form to fill out by the manager, Madam Princess Gibson, who informed them that it was standard procedure and that a physical examination of the body would be conducted.
According to Kamara, Madam Gibson unwrapped Sia’s body in his presence, along with Kpaka and other family members. Kamara recounted that upon seeing the body unwrapped, he noticed a cut on Sia’s upper lip, a reddish mark on her temple, a swollen jaw, scars around her breasts, a wound on her chest, and injuries to her hands, knees, and right ankle. Overcome with emotion, he cried again.
Gibson then took photographs of Sia’s body and informed them that she was ready to begin the postmortem process. However, Kamara asked her to wait.
He took his brother, Christian Kamara, aside to discuss the fact that Kpaka had claimed Sia had died from a heart attack, but the marks on her body suggested otherwise. They decided to report the matter to the police.
Kamara and Christian went to the Central Police Station but were directed to report the case to the Adonkia Police Station since the incident occurred in that area. After informing those at Virtues Funeral Home, including Kpaka, that they had a meeting to attend, they proceeded to the Adonkia Police Station, made their report, and were assigned CID officers who accompanied them to 6 Metchem, Goderich, where Kpaka was arrested and taken to the police station.
On August 14, 2024, Kamara said the case was transferred to the Lumley Police Station, where he was informed that a postmortem would be conducted on Sia’s body. He notified Virtues Funeral Home of the need to retrieve the body for the postmortem.
On August 16, 2024, Kamara took Sia’s body to Connaught Government Hospital, where Dr. Simeon Owizz Koroma and his team conducted the autopsy in the presence of Kamara, the police, and a family member of Kpaka. After the examination, Dr. Koroma handed Kamara the autopsy report.
Kamara also produced photos of Sia’s body, taken at Virtues Funeral Home, as part of the evidence. However, defense attorney Teddy Koroma, representing Kpaka, objected to the tendering of the photos, arguing that the phone used to take the pictures had not been mentioned in the defense.
Justice Alhaji Momoh Jah Stevens dismissed the objection, ruling that evidence can be presented in court regardless of how it was obtained. Kamara’s phone and photos were accepted as evidence against Kpaka.
During cross-examination, led by defense lawyer Koroma, Kamara clarified that while he is not Sia’s sibling, they are cousins. He further noted that they were close, even though they saw each other once every two to three months, and he last saw her a month before the incident.
