Nearly two years after his ex-wife’s burnt body was found in a cemetery behind their Mocha home Lloyd McCleoud is on trial in the High Court for murder.
Indicted on the capital offence before Justice Claudette La Bennett for the April 3, 2005 murder of Beverly McCleoud the man sat with a blank look on his face as the woman’s brother testified yesterday about his sister going missing and later finding blood at the Mocha home.
From the witness box Nzogi Haynes told the jury he last saw his sister on the night of April 3, 2005 when several family members got together for a fair at Thirst Park. He said almost a day had passed and the family had not heard from Beverly so accompanied by another brother, he and his finance turned up at the home in Mocha.
Upon arriving at the home he called out and the accused responded. Haynes said he asked for his sister and was told by McCleoud that she was not there. It was about 10:30 am on the morning of April 3. At the time, he recalled that the accused was shirtless and was sweating.
After some interaction with the accused about checking his sister’s cellphone and working bag Haynes said he was allowed to enter the home to search for the bag. He said after checking the first bedroom he did not see the bag but noticed what appeared to be blood on the floor near the eastern wall and called out to his brother to see it. But the accused darted upstairs ahead of the brother, Haynes said, and dismissed his theory about blood saying it was varnish and that it had been there all the time.
Haynes then told the accused that he was going to make a report at the station. A report was later lodged at the Providence Police Station and three officers accompanied Haynes back to the home in Mocha to investigate. The accused allowed the officers inside and Haynes showed them what he saw.
He said the accused again held out it was not blood and took the officers to another room to see what he said was varnish in there also. But according to Haynes the police decided to check McCleoud’s body and that was when he noticed fresh scratch marks on his back and hand. He said the accused told police he was burning bush and got the marks on his back but could not explain the marks on his hand.
Haynes told the court that blood was oozing from the marks on McCleoud’s back. He said the police then cautioned the accused and arrested him. The following day Haynes said he returned to the Providence Station and subsequently went to the home at Mocha with the police and the accused.
After the police spoke with the accused for about an hour, Haynes said, one of the officers went to the back of the home and returned with what appeared to be a blood soaked cloth. He said the police accompanied by the accused went to a lot next door to the McCleoud’s home. He went in the same direction but ended up in the cemetery. There he said he saw what appeared to be a burnt body lying in some bushes. At the time he said he could not recognise the body.
The prosecution led by state counsel, Melissa Yearwood-Stewart is contending that the accused is responsible for the murder of his wife. The trial is continuing. (Iana Seales)
