Street dweller freed of murder charge

Jun 11, 2014 News

Omesh Chaitram hurriedly fled the precincts of the Georgetown Supreme Court yesterday after he was declared a free man by Justice Navindra Singh.
Chaitram, called ‘Black Boy’ was on trial for the murder of his colleague Wendell Fresco, called “Country,” whom he had reportedly stabbed following a bitter row over money.
Chaitram was in prison for almost three years for the incident, which took place on July 10, 2012.
However, within minutes he was declared a free man at the announcement of a unanimous verdict of not guilty for the offence of murder, declared by a mixed twelve-member panel of jurors.
Chaitram had clutched his Bible tightly, as he awaited the verdict. He thanked the Judge, who advised him that he has a second chance at life and should make the most of it.
Prosecutor Judith Gildharie-Mursalin had closed the case on Monday, after three final witnesses took the stand.
The witnesses included Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh, Police Constable Shemroy Alleyne and Wendy Wilson, the sister of the deceased.
Dr. Singh told the court that the victim could not have lived for more than ten to fifteen minutes after being stabbed. He died due to a single wound, which pierced his heart.
Constable Alleyne told the court that he had escorted the accused to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where he was treated for a wound to his armpit, while the victim’s sister recalled that she identified her brother’s body, in the presence of a policeman and a pathologist.
She claimed that during his lifetime, Fresco had been a labourer. He would do errands for vendors around the Bourda Market area.
However, in his defence, Chaitram told the court that he had nothing to do with Fresco’s death.
Previously, an inmate of the Georgetown Prisons, Keith Tuesday, testified in the matter.
Tuesday told the court he knew both the accused and the victim for a number of years, but nothing about the murder. He claimed that the police forced him into giving his statement.
“Dem say that dem gon lock up, down to me dog, if I ain’t give a statement. I tell dem that Black Boy only tell me that Country bore he with a piece of steel under he armpit.”
However, Tuesday later made contradictory statements. He spoke about a knife which was allegedly used to commit the crime.
In his evidence-in-chief, the witness told the court that the accused was armed with a knife but later contested the statement while under cross-examination by Chaitram’s lawyer, Raymond Ali.
“The truth is that Black Boy ain’t had nothing in his hand,” he said.
However when he was asked to clarify his statements for the court, the witness simply stated “Right now, me head ain’t deh on right. I in jail, so sometimes I does get confuse.”

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Street dweller freed of murder charge

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