Troy Abrams, the surviving accused in the armed robbery of America Street moneychangers, and the main witness for his defence yesterday gave contradictory accounts of what they were doing at the time of the attack.
Abrams was yesterday called upon to lead his own defence by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, who ruled that sufficient evidence was provided by the prosecution to make out a case against him.
Abrams is charged with being one of the suspects in the November 3, 2015 America Street attack. He and his now deceased co-accused, Anthony Primo, 30, of West Ruimveldt, were charged with robbing the moneychangers of over $2 million in local and foreign currency before they made good of their escape on motorbikes.
The ruling by Chief Magistrate McLennan came on the heels of the prosecution closing its case, after the testimony of its last eyewitness.
The eyewitness, Mike Carter, testified soon after the defence was through cross-examining Osoffo Ward, one of the victims of the attack.
Carter, who was at the scene of the crime, told the court what happened the night when the moneychangers were robbed by two gunmen, who pulled up on bikes. However, during cross-examination by Abrams’ attorney, Mortimer Codette, Carter told the court that he did not see the robbery since he ran away when the shooting started.
Codette then made a submission, calling for the case to be dismissed against his client since the prosecution had failed to provide the court with credible witnesses and to make a case that could cast no reasonable doubt that his client was involved in the robbery.
However, Prosecutor Deniro Jones submitted that they had made a case against the defendant. He also noted that though there were some inconsistencies in the chain of evidence, the court should bear in mind that the victims were traumatised.
The magistrate subsequently ruled that sufficient evidence was led to make out a case against Abrams and he was called on to lead a defence.
Abrams later told the court that on the night of the attack he was with his girlfriend, Lashonna De Caries at Lot 5 East La Penitence watching a movie, the family drama ‘Soul Food.’ He said that he was at his girlfriend’s residence all day and even at the time the attack occurred. Abrams told the court that he learned of the attack when a neighbour came over and informed his girlfriend. He went on to say that the next day he was stopped by the police, when he and his girlfriend were coming back from visiting his father at Victoria on the East Coast. Later that day, he said, the police took him to Eve Leary and arrested him for the robbery.
De Caries also took the stand and testified in support of Abrams, whom she called her fiancé. She said they were home watching a movie on YouTube. When crossed-examined by Jones, she said the movie they watched was an “action” film but she could not recall its name. De Caries said that Abrams was home with her and her child all day. “He never left the house,” she told the court.
The matter was later adjourned until March 21, when one more witness is due to testify on behalf of Abrams.
