Gbarnga, Bong County — A Bong County woman has been sentenced to five years in prison for the death of her boyfriend after a court found she acted under “extreme emotional disturbance” rather than with malice aforethought.
By D. Franklin Doloquee from Gbarnga, Bong County
The case, Republic of Liberia by and thru Ministry of Justice v. Tutu Flomo, arose from a domestic dispute over money.
According to court documents, Flomo, 36, had saved 1,900 Liberian Dollars through a local “susu” savings club.
She became enraged when her boyfriend, Junior Mulbah, allegedly took 1,000 dollars of her savings to entertain other women at a community program.
After reporting the matter to her uncle and returning home, Flomo and Mulbah fought.
During the altercation, Mulbah knocked Flomo down while she was holding their child.
Flomo then grabbed a razor blade from the ground and slit Mulbah’s throat, causing severe bleeding that resulted in his death.
Flomo was originally indicted for murder by the Grand Jury of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court during the November Term A.D. 2023 for the October 1, 2023 killing in Wounta Town, Sanoyea District, Bong County.
After fleeing to Teneua Town, she was later arrested, investigated and charged.
On May 12, defense counsel waived a jury trial and announced that the parties had reached a plea-bargaining agreement.
Flomo pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of manslaughter; the court accepted the plea and the written agreement was filed on May 15.
During proceedings on May 26, the court confirmed Flomo’s guilty plea was voluntary and that she admitted to committing the offense.
Citing Section 14.2 of Liberia’s Penal Law, the court noted manslaughter is defined as causing death under circumstances that would otherwise be murder except the person acted under “extreme emotional disturbance” with reasonable excuse.
The court found Flomo’s actions fit that definition, explaining that emotional disturbance can be excusable when occasioned by provocation that was not “culpably unreasonable.”
A pre sentence investigation by the Division of Probation Services reported that Flomo was born on August 8, 1988, is a Christian, is in good health, does not use narcotics and has no prior criminal record. She is the mother of one girl and four boys.
In her response to the report, Flomo asked for mercy and stated she did not intend to kill Mulbah.
Under Section 50.5(b) of Liberia’s New Penal Law, manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of five years.
Based on the plea agreement, the court sentenced Flomo to five years’ imprisonment, crediting the two years and six months she already served in pretrial detention.
The court ordered that Flomo be released six months before the end of her sentence to receive counseling and rehabilitation under the supervision of the Division of Probation Services.
The judgment, signed in June 2026, directs the clerk of court to forward it to prison authorities for enforcement.
The ruling highlights the distinction under Liberian law between murder and manslaughter when extreme emotional disturbance and provocation are factors.
