Detective Assistant Superintendent of Police Mitchel Caesar yesterday testified that murder accused Leon Duncan was pointed out at an identification parade (ID) as the person who shot and killed Imtiaz Roopnarine at the Cool Square Hotel.
Caesar was at the time testifying at the trial of Duncan, who has been charged with murdering Roopnarine.
The allegation against Duncan, called ‘Leon James’ and ‘Whistle,’ is that on January 24, 2013, at the Cool Square Hotel, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, he murdered Roopnarine called ‘Bobby,’ in the course or furtherance of a robbery.
He has pleaded not guilty to the indictment. He is on trial before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry and a 12-member mixed jury at the High Court in Georgetown.
In his evidence-in-chief, Caesar said that during his investigation of the matter, he visited the scene and contacted Linden Shirley, the security guard on duty at the time of the murder.
According to Caesar, while at the hotel, he was told something, as a result of which Shirley subsequently visited him at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, where he (Caesar) interviewed him.
The detective said that based on what Shirley told to him, he took a statement from him and caused an identification parade to be conducted, at which Shirley pointed out Duncan as the suspect who shot and killed Roopnarine.
Caesar also testified of having put the murder allegation to Duncan on April 29, 2013. He said the man replied, “I aint know nothing about that.”
The detective said that on May 1, 2013, he again contacted the accused; this time to conduct an interview with him regarding his whereabouts for the night of January 24 and the following morning.
At the interview, Caesar said, Duncan claimed that on the night of January 23 he went to the Edge Nightclub and while there he met an old girlfriend, Tiana Cumberbatch, who was in the company of her friend, Tameshia Tiffany Glasgow.
Caesar said Duncan told him that he and Cumberbatch spent some time at the Edge, before later going to the Cool Square Hotel, where they both spent the night, and that early the next morning they left in a taxi.
The witness said the accused further told him that the taxi first dropped him off at his home and later dropped Cumberbatch to her home. Caesar said Duncan told him that after he had gotten home, he went straight to bed and only learnt of the murder later that morning on the news.
The court heard from Caesar that upon his request, both Cumberbatch and Glasgow later visited him at the CID, Eve Leary and were separately interviewed in relation to Duncan’s alibi.
He said that based on what the women had told him, he made entries into the station diary and give certain instructions to Detective Suraj Singh.
ASP Caesar told the court that on both occasions when he contacted the accused, he cautioned him in accordance with the judge’s rule. He added that at no time did he, nor anyone in his presence make use of any inducements to Duncan for him to say anything regarding the investigations.
The state’s case is that Roopnarine left his home for Cool Square on January 23 with a quantity of cash and jewellery. Prosecutor Tuanna Hardy had told the court in her opening address that while Roopnarine was about to leave the following morning, he was chased by Duncan into the yard, cornered and shot.
Hardy had said that when Roopnarine’s body was found, his cash and most of his jewellery were missing.
The state’s case is being presented by prosecutors Stacy Goodings and Orinthia Schmidt in association with Hardy. Meanwhile, Duncan is being represented by defence attorney Mark Waldron.
The trial continues this morning at 9.
