The son of Nichola Joseph, who is accused of killing her common-law husband, yesterday testified that on the day of the alleged crime he heard what sounded like a scuffle between the arguing couple and later saw the deceased bleeding from the chest.
Taking the stand yesterday at the High Court in Georgetown, where Joseph is on trial for the murder of Curtis McKinnon on July 20, 2014, at Lot 12 Plantain Walk, Vreed-en-Hoop, West Bank Demerara, was 19-year-old Joshua Peroune.
Peroune told Justice Jo-Ann Barlow and a 12-member jury that he heard his mother and the deceased arguing on the day in question and it later developed into what sounded like a scuffle to him. The young man said that he was in his bedroom at the time and, after hearing the argument, he decided to go and check on his mother and the deceased, whom he referred to as “Uncle Curtis.” He said that when he got to his parents’ bedroom, his mother told him to leave and she left the room shortly after and walked through the kitchen to the back door area.
Peroune said that sometime after, his parents started arguing again and he heard his mother ask, “Why you hit me?” He said that amidst further scuffling sounds, he also heard a choking sound coming from his parents’ room, but could not say who the sound was coming from.
The witness said that this again prompted him to go back to the room, where he saw McKinnon bleeding from his chest.
Asked to describe the type of relationship his mother shared with the deceased, the teen told prosecutor Siand Dhurjon that it was “a loving relationship, no problems—that was the first time they had a problem like that.”
Under cross-examination, Peroune explained to defence attorney Sonia Parag that he had lived with his mother and McKinnon for only two of the five years they had been together. As a result, he agreed with counsel that he would not be in a position to say whether the two had any problems prior to him moving in with them.
Responding to further questions from the defence, Peroune said that since he could not see what was happening between Joseph and McKinnon, he could not say whether his she was being beaten by him, nor if she were defending herself at the time.
After stating that he could not remember seeing any injuries on his mother that night, the teen agreed with Parag that it may be possible that she had injuries and that he may not remember.
However, he told counsel that he is aware that his mother was taken for a medical examination. When asked, Peroune told Parag that while at the station, he heard his mother telling police that she had sustained blows from his stepfather. He said too that he also heard her complaining to the lawmen of pains to her knee.
Parag’s final question to the young man was if he had seen his mother “juk Uncle Curtis,” to which he said no.
Knife never dusted for fingerprints
Meanwhile, a knife, which the State said had been found with suspected spots of blood at the scene of the killing, was yesterday tendered and admitted into evidence at the trial.
Also testifying yesterday was a police witness, Constable Solomon, who furnished the court with the stainless steel knife and a mosquito net which he said he had retrieved from the scene.
The knife, he said, was found under a bed in the residence and had what appeared to have been spots of blood. A visibly-stained mosquito net, with what Solomon said was blood, was also shown to the court and admitted into evidence.
Asked under cross-examination whether he considered the knife to be of evidential value, Solomon told Parag that he did and also that he considered that it may have been used in the killing.
Asked if he ever dusted the knife for fingerprints, caused anyone to do so, or whether anyone did so in in his presence, Solomon responded in the negative.
He also said he did not know whether anyone ever dusted the knife at all.
Solomon then agreed with counsel’s follow-up question that he would therefore be unable to say whether her client had held that knife in her hands.
Asked if he ever made a written record of his findings at the scene, the witness said no. Responding to further questions from Parag, Solomon said the investigation was headed by a Sergeant Singh but that he never told nor showed Singh the knife he had found.
His reason for this, he said, was because, “I din want anyone to tamper with it.” Solomon said that the only person he told about the knife, was a Sergeant Burnette, who was the station sergeant with whom he lodged it at the police station.
The trial continues this morning at 9.
