By By: The People News Online
Monrovia — The Liberia National Police has shaken the national conversation on sexual violence and child protection after announcing the exoneration of businessman J. Brian McGill in a widely publicized rape allegation, while confirming the prosecution of two other men in separate and disturbing abuse cases.
Speaking at a packed press conference, Police Inspector General Gregory O. W. Coleman said the police had relied strictly on science, digital evidence and the law, not public outrage or social media pressure. He described the McGill investigation as one of the most thorough ever conducted by the LNP.
The case involved a 14-year-old girl who accused McGill of rape. The allegation, which went viral online, sparked months of intense public anger and speculation. But according to the police, the facts told a very different story.
Coleman revealed that investigators used phone records, GPS tracking, CCTV footage and DNA analysis conducted through international forensic partners to determine what really happened. The results were clear: McGill was not at the alleged crime scene, and his DNA did not match the biological material recovered from the victim’s clothing.
Although unidentified male DNA was found, it was not connected to McGill. Based on this, the Liberia National Police formally cleared him of any involvement in the crime.
However, police stressed that the case itself is not closed.
“The perpetrator is still out there,” Coleman said, urging the victim’s family to continue cooperating so the real offender can be brought to justice.
The police also addressed public complaints about why the McGill case took so long. Liberia, they explained, does not have a forensic DNA laboratory, forcing investigators to seek international help. After months of negotiations, the LNP secured a partnership with Rwanda’s forensic institute, making it possible to finally test the evidence. That breakthrough now opens a new chapter for criminal investigations in Liberia.
While McGill walked free, the story was very different for another suspect.
In the case of Peter Bonjala, accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl, the police said the evidence was strong and consistent. Medical findings confirmed abuse, witnesses placed the victim at the suspect’s home, phone records put Bonjala in the area at the time of the crime, and his own statements clashed with the facts.
As a result, Bonjala has been charged with rape, statutory rape, sodomy, gang rape and kidnapping, and his case is now before the courts. DNA samples from him and the victim have already been sent to Rwanda for forensic testing.
The third case shocked many Liberians even more.
Joseph Butler, a father, was arrested after videos circulated on social media showing his own young children being used in harmful and degrading content. Police said Butler admitted to filming and posting the videos as a way to make money online.
He now faces multiple charges under Liberia’s Children’s Law and Penal Code for child exploitation, abuse, endangerment and distributing obscene material.
Police made it clear that being a parent does not give anyone the right to exploit a child, and that social media will not protect abusers from the law.
As the press conference ended, the Liberia National Police called on the public to stop spreading rumors, avoid victim-shaming and trust lawful investigations.
The message from the LNP was blunt and unmistakable: in Liberia’s most sensitive and emotional cases, guilt or innocence will be decided by evidence and the courts, not by noise on the internet.
