Clifton Gibson, one of the suspects in the murder of Rubis accountant Jason Cort, was yesterday cleared of a charge that he escaped from police custody after the prosecution failed to prove its case against him.
It was the prosecution’s case that on June 29, four days after Gibson was arrested over the murder of Cort, he escaped police custody while in the vicinity of Lamaha and Parade streets.
The vehicle transporting him and two of his co-accused was on its way to the CID Headquarters, Eve Leary when he allegedly escaped.
Gibson, during the trial, offered sworn testimony from the witness box and also called in his accomplices to testify on his behalf. Gibson denied ever escaping from the police and even went so far as to claim that the police officer who testified against him had accepted a bribe.
Gibson’s co-accused, Linton Eastman and Stancy Rodney, also denied knowledge of an escape attempt by him and they provided information that conflicted with the account presented by the prosecution.
The prosecution attempted to call into question the integrity of the witnesses’ accounts and suggested that they would say anything to assist their co-accused. Eastman and Rodney denied this claim, however, while stating that up until their arrival, they were unaware of the reason behind their sudden court appearance. The two also denied conspiring before the hearing, telling the court that the three do not see each other in prison and so they have little chance of interaction.
Magistrate Ann McLennan, after considering the evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defence, acknowledged that there were two versions of the story and therefore two possible outcomes for the matter. She stated that given the circumstances and the fact that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, the court would be required to rule in the defendant’s favour. As a result, Gibson was found not guilty of escaping from lawful custody and that case against him was dismissed.
On June 29, Gibson, Eastman and Rodney appeared before Magistrate McLennan charged with the murder of Cort, who was shot during a home invasion and robbery.
On the night of the murder, which occurred June 17, 27-year-old Cort and his girlfriend had just returned to their Meadow-brook home in what was to be a brief stop before they headed back out to watch a movie.
Cort’s girlfriend, Shauna Garraway, had gone upstairs to get a jacket when she heard a gunshot from the lower flat of the building and a male voice demanding money. Reports stated that the robbers made off with Cort’s gold chain, a bracelet worth $500,000, a licensed firearm, an X-Box console and a smartphone.
On June 25, about a week into investigations, the trio—Gibson, Eastman and Rodney—was apprehended for the deceased’s murder. The next day, another man, who was said to have been the mastermind behind the robbery, was also taken into custody by the police.
