The state’s star witness on Monday said that it was Lennox Wayne, called ‘Two Colours’, who fatally shot beautician Ashmini Harriram in 2014 but the accused yesterday maintained his innocence in a sworn statement.
Wayne is likely to know his fate on Friday after a jury deliberates a verdict on the indictment levelled against him for the 2014 murder of the Lusignan beautician.
Yesterday, the prosecution closed it case against Wayne whom it says shot and killed Harriram called “Monesha,” at the Lusig-nan Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara, on the morning of July 10th, 2014.
Justice Sandil Kissoon, who is presiding over the trial is set to sum-up the case on Friday morning, following which the jury will retire to deliberate.
Called upon to lead his defence after the close of the prosecution’s case, Wayne told the court yesterday morning that not only is he innocent of the charge, but has no knowledge of who may have killed the young woman, or the circumstances under which she met her demise.
Wayne—a former self-professed police informant—submitted the theory that the capital charge may have been levelled against him because he had previously testified in a matter against a senior member of the police force.
In his sworn testimony, he said that Detective Sergeant Leon Lindo, whom he described as his ‘Boss’ and to whom he said he provided information, had found himself on the other side of the law and had been arrested and placed before the court.
The former informant said that he was called as a witness for the prosecution to testify against the Detective Sergeant and opined that that may have been the reason he is now facing charges for the beautician’s murder.
He said that the matter in which he testified against Lindo, and other matters involving a number of other police ranks, may be Lindo’s way of getting back at him with the capital charge he is now facing.
Lindo who is pre-sently interdicted from the force, was called as a witness for the prosecution following Wayne’s testimony, and spoke of him seeking a favour for Lindo to lie for him regarding his whereabouts for the day and time in question.
Lindo told the court that after his arrest, Wayne had called enquiring whether he had had anything to do with his arrest and charge for Harriram’s murder, to which he said he responded in the negative.
Lindo said that thereafter, Wayne begged him to support his story of the alibi that he (Wayne) had been with him (Lindo) on the day and time the young woman was shot and killed.
Lindo told the court that he promptly upbraided Wayne about his request, stating that he would be involved in no such act, and in fact that he was not to call him ever again.
Lindo said that Wayne, who by that time was already on remand for the murder did, however, contact him thereafter requesting cellphone credit which he provided him.
Defence attorney Nigel Hughes grilled Lindo about his story which the lawyer said was a fabrication.
Referencing Lindo’s pronouncements to Wayne that he would “get to the bottom” of the murder and would himself turn-in Wayne, Hughes asked him under cross-examination whether he had reported to the lead investigator what he alleged Wayne had asked of him.
At one point Lindo said he did, and at other points said he did not.
When asked to whom he made the report, the interdicted detective said he could not recall, but would rattle off the names of a few of the officers on the investigating team; all while repeatedly saying “I was confused at the time.”
Lindo attributed his confusion to being himself charged for the unrelated matter in which Wayne would have testified against him.
Wayne’s story is also that, prior to being charged along with Melroy Doris for Harriram’s murder, he did not know who Doris was.
The former co-accused is currently serving a five-year prison-term for Harriram’s unlawful killing, after pleading to the lesser offence of manslaughter earlier this year.
The now star witness for the prosecution told the court on Monday that it was Wayne who had shot and killed Harriram. According to Doris who at the time was a taxi driver, Wayne had hired him to be transported to Lusignan.
He had said that as he drove along the Railway Embankment, Wayne requested that he stop the vehicle, and after he did, Wayne exited and shot the young woman after which he re-entered the car and ordered him to drive.
Wayne, however, vehemently denies Doris’ story, stating that he did not know Doris, nor had he ever spoken to Doris “in my life,” or knew who killed the young woman and why.
The accused said that on the day in question, and at the time the murder is alleged to have occurred, he was at the Tactical Services Unit speaking to Lindo and he therefore could not have been at the alleged scene at the material time.
Doris, however, remained adamant that it was Wayne who had shot Harriram.
Wayne does not deny affixing his signature to a statement which he said lawmen gave him to sign, but according to him, he only signed the document because he had been beaten and burnt by the police.
“The licks was too much. It was more than me; and that is why I sign the statement,” Wayne told the court.
Justice Kissoon will commence his summation at 9:15 on Friday morning at the High Court in Georgetown where the trial is being heard.
The state is being represented by Prosecutor Lisa Cave.
