More than two years after the burned remains of Arthur James were uncovered in Freetown, a High Court jury has delivered a guilty verdict against Uroy Joseph, who stood accused of acting as an accessory after the fact to James’ 2021 murder.
The conviction came on Tuesday, following closing instructions from Justice Ann Marie Smith and a period of deliberation by the 12-member jury. Prosecutors have clarified that Joseph was not accused of committing the killing himself, but rather of aiding the individuals responsible for James’ death after the crime took place.
Throughout the course of the weeks-long trial, Joseph’s defense centered on a claim of coercion. He told the court that when he returned to his residence on the day of the murder, he found James bound and held at gunpoint by his two cousins, Zamir Ogarro and Obasic Ogarro — the alleged co-conspirators in the killing. Joseph testified that he watched Zamir Ogarro deliver a fatal blow to James’ head with a metal pipe, before being ordered to help move the victim’s body.
Joseph admitted to assisting the pair in wrapping James’ body in a sheet and loading it into a waiting vehicle, but told the court he only complied after Zamir Ogarro threatened to kill him if he refused to cooperate. Following the incident, Joseph told investigators, he reached out to law enforcement voluntarily and provided a full account of everything he had witnessed, in an effort to cooperate with the investigation.
In a turn that streamlined the court proceedings, Joseph was the only defendant to go on trial: both Zamir and Obasic Ogarro, who were originally charged alongside Joseph in the case, died before the case could proceed to trial. Prosecutors have previously named Zamir Ogarro as the primary perpetrator who planned and carried out James’ killing. After closing arguments and the judge’s summary of the evidence, the jury ultimately rejected Joseph’s coercion defense and handed down the guilty verdict.