‘Two Colours’ murder trial…Sufficient evidence to convict accused for murder

Apr 28, 2017 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

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– State Prosecutor tells court
State Prosecutor Tamieka Clarke submitted yesterday that sufficient evidence has been produced to the court to convict the two men accused of killing cosmetologist, Ashmini Harriram, for murder.
Lennox Wayne called “Two Colours,” and Melroy Doris, are on trial for the murder which occurred on July 10, 2014.
Harriram was shot once to her neck moments after she disembarked a minibus along the Lusignan Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara.
On the day of the incident, the shooter reportedly exited a burgundy-coloured motor car, whipped out a gun and shot the teen then took away her mobile phone and left the scene.
Wayne and Doris, a taxi driver, were subsequently arrested and charged with the murder. Their trial is ongoing before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Georgetown High Court.
During her closing address to the jury yesterday, Clarke waded into the arguments of the defence in relation the murder.
Clarke noted that the defence had contended that the number one accused, Wayne, had marks of violence about his arms and body, purportedly inflicted during a police interrogation at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court, but the accused has no scars to support this argument.
Clarke pointed out that Wayne had worn a short sleeve shirt during the trial, but there were no visible scars on his arms.
“Surely the marks would have still been visible,” Clarke added.
The Prosecutor further stated while the defence had claimed that police officer Rodwell Sarrabo admitted that Wayne had no injuries when he left Criminal Investigation Department, (CID) “Sarrabo never said that; he said he could not recall whether he (Wayne) had any injuries”.
Clarke then asked the jury to disregard the theory put forward by Wayne that he was arrested and charged with the murder after the police found out he had filtered information about a few officers in relation to a similar investigation.
She noted rather that Wayne had supplied the information eight months after he was in custody.
Clarke said it is her view that he decided to squeal on the officers to possibly get a deal, given that he was already in jail for the murder of Harriram.
“He didn’t go to the police with this information, he went to the media first and then the police contacted him afterwards. This was eight months after his arrest. He was already in jail,” the Prosecutor said.
In relation to the number two accused, Clarke emphasised that based on the evidence, he should not be looked at as just a simple taxi driver, but as the driver of the getaway vehicle that transported Wayne, to and from the scene of the crime.
“He waited until the act was committed before taking Mr Wayne away from the scene of the shooting. Mr Doris is a facilitator of the murder. Had he not facilitated the act, Ms Harriram would still be alive.”
Clarke was rebutting the statements of Attorney Stanley Moore. Moore had previously claimed that his client (Doris) was just a simple taxi driver that found himself in a predicament.
Similarly, Defence Counsel Nigel Hughes told the jury that there were no eyewitnesses who identified his client (Wayne) as the shooter.
Hughes pointed out, too, that there was no investigation to resolve the inconsistencies contained in the statements attributed to the two accused.
The lawyer suggested this was not done because the statements were concocted.
Earlier in the trial, the court accepted a caution statement taken from Wayne. According to the statement, Wayne had admitted to going to Lusignan and shooting the cosmetologist. The statement read by Police Detective Lakeram Datt outlined that Wayne told detectives, however, that he was contracted to do the job.
According to the information, Wayne disclosed that he met Doris on the day of the incident, at Bent Street, in Georgetown. During their meeting, Wayne said that Doris told him of a job that he has for him and that he would be paid $2.5 million when it is completed.
Wayne purportedly told the cops that Doris pulled out a black handgun and gave it to him and told him that he had to bump off a girl.
The two later left the city for Lusignan Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara. While there, they waited in the motorcar.
Sometime after they saw two females emerge from a minibus. Doris then pointed out the target to Wayne. The statement outlined that the accused told the officers that she was “a fine Indian girl.” According to the statement, Wayne is said to have jumped out of the motorcar, pointed the gun at the head of the victim before shooting her.
The accused then grabbed the mortally wounded woman’s cell phone, jumped back into the motorcar and sped off. Wayne is said to have never received payment for “the job.”

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