Judge admits caution statement

Mar 04, 2009 News

Better Hope murder trial…

Justice Brassington Reynolds yesterday admitted the caution statement of Richard Reid, called “Bully Boy”, who is on trial for the 2002 murder of Michael Rodrigues. This admission came after the voir dire (trial within a trial) concluded.
Reid is indicted for the September 15, 2002 murder of Rodrigues, which occurred at a shop located at Better Hope South, East Coast Demerara.
The incident is said to have occurred at a time when both the accused and the deceased were imbibing alcohol.
Yesterday in the High Court, the officer who took the caution statement, Corporal Michael Hinckson, read it from the witness box.
In the statement, the accused said that he was drinking at the shop and Rodrigues went into the shop and spoke with the owner.
Reid contended that Rodrigues then pushed him and cuffed him. He said that he had a knife in this pants and he pulled it out and “fire a jook on he (Rodrigues).”
According to the statement, Rodrigues then hit him again and he swung the knife at him once again and then ran home. It added that Reid later looked back and saw that Rodrigues had collapsed in the shop.
Reid’s attorney, Compton Richardson, objected to the admission of the caution statement, questioning whether is true and voluntary.
The voir dire started last week Monday to determine the admissibility of the caution statement.
Prior to that, several prosecution witnesses testified, among them Reid’s nephew, Samuel Cummings; the sister of the deceased, Subrina Rodrigues; and the owner of the shop in which the incident occurred, Bibi Sharon Beckharry.
Beckharry had said that he saw the confrontation between the deceased and the accused but did not see the stabbing occur.
However, she said that she saw a knife in Reid’s hand.
The trial will continue today.

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