According to a caution statement tendered and admitted at the trial of Clifton Graham who is accused of murdering taxi driver Rolston Bernard Henry, the accused was on the scene and witnessed the killing.
Graham is on trial before Justice Roxane George and a 12-member jury, for allegedly murdering Henry between May 2, and May 3, 2009 at Onion Field, La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara.
Taking the stand yesterday was Sergeant Radesh Persaud who told the court he had contacted one Kurt Dean, who said he had overheard a conversation among the accused and other men, when one said, “Clifton hold down de man, and ‘fine man’ cut he throat and kill he.”
Persaud said that he had contacted Dean at the Sparendaam Police Station, where he interviewed him. The witness said that based on information he had received, he subsequently held a confrontation between Dean and the accused.
Persaud said that in the presence of the accused, Dean related to him that on May 3, 2009, “Clifton Graham, ‘fine man’, his cousin, and another,” went to his home, and called out for one, “Eon Daniels,” who lives in the said yard.
The sergeant told the court that Dean said the men were having a conversation when he, [Dean], overheard ‘fine man’ saying, “last night we hijack a car and tek the driver to LBI Pasture. Clifton hold down de man, and ‘fine man’ cut he throat and kill he.”
The police sergeant said that at that point during the confrontation, he drew Graham’s attention to what Dean had said and under caution, he, [Graham] replied, “everything that Kurt Dean seh is true; except, I never hold down de man fuh anybody cut out de man throat.”
Persaud said that at no time did he use any threat, force or inducement on Graham for him to make the statement.
The sergeant said that in conducting further investigations, he asked Graham to show him the location where the crime had taken place, and the accused subsequently took him to Onion Field, where he pointed out a spot saying, “this is where Gladwin and ‘collie’ kill the man and dump he body.”
The court heard from Persaud, that the accused then pointed out another spot to him about 600-700 feet away from the first spot; as being the location where he, [Graham] was standing at the time of the killing.
Persaud said the accused then took him to a third location, on the LBI Estate Road, identifying it as the place where he had dumped the bloody clothes and documents.
The witness told the court that he searched the area, and found one national identification card in favour of the deceased, along with burnt pieces of paper. He however noted, that no bloody clothes were found at the spot.
Testifying yesterday also, was Corporal Ricardo Inniss, who recalled retrieving items in Graham’s possession which belonged to the deceased, and the car which he was operating.
Inniss said that subsequent to arresting the accused, lawmen found a tower bolt which Graham identified, stating, “Officer, duh is the tower bolt which Gladwin use to hold-up Rolston in Georgetown.”
The corporal testified that the accused was also found wearing a ring with the letter ‘R’ engraved on it, which Henry’s common-law wife later identified as belonging to her husband.
Inniss said that apart from the ring, one CD player, a number of compact disks, a car seat covering, and note book, were all items found in a bag the accused was carrying at the time of his arrest.
Sheldon McDonald, owner of the car Henry was operating at the time of his death, also testified yesterday, and told the court that those were all items missing from his vehicle.
He identified a number of car seats tendered and admitted into evidence, as being those he had placed in the car.
Inniss recalled uplifting from the station sergeant two choppers, along with the tower bolt which he said had been found during the investigations, and had taken them to the analyst at the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters.
He said he had taken the items for analysis, as they were stained with what appeared to be blood. The witness however, said that though he made several subsequent checks with the analyst to retrieve the items, he was unsuccessful.
When asked by Prosecutor Tuanna Hardy, Inniss said that the ring, CD player, compact disks and bag which the accused was found with, were all admitted into evidence during the preliminary inquiry at the Magistrates Court.
These items were however not produced yesterday at the High Court trial. Inniss said that though he made several checks for them in the general property room of the Sparendaam Police Station where they had been lodged, he was unsuccessful in locating them.
The trial, which is being heard at the High Court in Georgetown, continues this morning at 9 am. The state’s case is being led by Prosecutor Hardy, in association with State Counsel Diana Kaulesar. The accused, meanwhile, is represented by attorney Maxwell McKay.
