A witness in the trial of Delon Henry, known as ‘Nasty Man,’ yesterday testified that he saw the accused carry out the fatal shooting of footballer Dexter Griffith at Warlock, in East Ruimveldt.
Kishawn Griffith, the brother of the deceased, made the statement when he appeared before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the High Court in Georgetown, where Henry is on trial for the murder of Griffith.
The witness claimed to have seen Henry standing over the body of his brother and shooting at him.
As to how he was able to identify Henry, the witness stated that he saw photographs of three suspects printed in a daily newspaper, and recognised the one labelled as Delon Henry to be the person that had committed the act based on the structure of his face. Furthermore, Kishawn told the court that the night of the killing, September 29th, 2015, was not the first time he had seen the alleged shooter.
The first occasion was reportedly the day before. Kishawn said, while noting that he was with his brother in Back Circle when he noticed a strange person walk by. The man, who was slightly taller than him, wore dark clothing and Nike slippers. The witness related that the person kept staring at his brother and was fidgeting with his phone.
On the night of the shooting, he said he had gone to the shop and was returning when he heard loud noises, which sounded like gunshots. He said that when he turned the corner completely, he saw a man run past, attempting to place what looked like a handgun into his haversack. The man, who was dressed in all white clothing, was said to have been fair in complexion.
The witness recounted that he took cover in an open yard behind a post, about 10 feet away from where another shooter was positioned over his brother. The property, he stated, is next door to where Dexter had been sitting.
Dexter’s body had been found in the drain of an alley located two doors from his house.
The witness said he saw the man standing over Dexter’s body and related that he continued to shoot and then made his escape. He testified that the shooter in the alley was slightly shorter than him and dark in complexion. He said he could see the shooter’s face and about half of his body.
Defence attorney Adrian Thompson put to him that on the night of the incident, the shooter that he saw was not Delon Henry. The witness, however, maintained his assertion.
“I assume you want justice for your brother,” Thompson put to the witness.
“Sure…,” he responded.
Thompson then proceeded to ask if he had told police that he saw the person(s) that shot his brother, to which the witness responded yes.
The lawyer questioned whether he had told the police and the magistrate that the other shooter was known to him. Kishawn said that he had. Under cross-examination by prosecutor Orinthia Schmidt, the witness stated that while he recalls saying such in court, he did not see it appear in the deposition.
He also related that he has seen the second person [who ran past him] around since then since he is from the East Ruimveldt community but added that he still does not know his name. The witness stated that attempts to have him arrested fell through because he would “disappear” by the time the police arrived.
Asked by Thompson whether he had ever attended an identification parade in relation to the matter, Kishawn said that he had not been asked to do so. He had, however, indicated that at the police station he was shown 16 photographs and asked to pick out the perpetrator. This was after he would have called and informed the police that one of the suspects whose photograph was published was one of the shooters.
Allison Weekes, who has two children with Griffith, was the first to testify when the trial resumed yesterday.
She said that after 6 pm, she had heard several explosions sounding like gunshots and then saw everyone running. She stated that her mother-in-law began shouting for Dexter. She recalled that someone ran past her and when she got to the alley, she saw a male in white clothing not too far from where Dexter’s body was. She said he headed south into the alley and was seen pushing a dark object, which appeared to be a gun, into his waistband.
She stated that “in a split second,” Kishawn arrived and began shouting, “I saw is who, I saw is who shot my brother.”
When asked by Thompson if he had seen Weekes coming, Kishawn had stated no, before later clarifying that he was in no position to.
Both of them had testified that Dexter’s body was found half lying in the drain, halfway on the parapet. He was said to have been lying face down, but when his body was removed, a hole was seen in his face. Lance Corporal Wills, who was stationed at the Ruimveldt Police Station at the time, said that on the night of the shooting she visited the scene, where five spent shells were discovered to the east of Lot 152 Back Circle, the first house on the south side of the alley. On the west, about ten feet away, she said they saw what was suspected to be blood.
She had testified that there were several lights in the area, including a light bulb on the fence of the house closest to the alley.
Former Detective Corporal Eastman, the police officer who apprehended Henry, also testified at the trial yesterday.
Eastman said that he was on duty at the Brickdam Police Station when he received information that led him to Agricola on the East Bank of Demerara. He later revealed that the information he received was directly related to Henry.
Eastman related that he was attached to the plain clothes patrol section of the Crime Intelligence Department at the time and was the subordinate in charge.
He said they went to Agricola in an unmarked vehicle and while there, observed a male in a hoodie, walking toward the East Bank Public Road, heading to Second Street, Agricola. He said the person was acting suspiciously, and when the vehicle stopped, he began running away, north into Second Street.
They reversed and pursued him, and Eastman said they later found the person hiding. After identifying himself as a policeman in plain clothes, he said he recognised the person to be Henry, called “Nasty Man.” At this point, Eastman said he put to him the allegation that he had shot and killed Griffith and cautioned him, to which he reportedly replied, “Me ain’ know bout duh.”
Thompson suggested that yesterday in court was the first time Eastman had stated that Henry was wearing a hoodie and that he was found hiding, to which Eastman said that he would be guided by his statement. The prosecution confirmed that neither statement was documented in the deposition.
The trial is set to continue today at 1 pm.
