Crown has eye witness

(CNS): The murder trial of Patrick McField, Osborne Douglas and Brandon Ebanks for the murder of Omar Samuels, opened this morning (Monday 30 August) with the revelation that the crown has an eye witness to the murder. The 16 year old girl is the crown’s key witness who says she saw the accused men shoot Samuels outside a house in McField Lane where she had gone to visit a friend on 5 July 2009. Solicitor General, Cheryl Richards QC gave her brief opening statement about the crown’s case against the three defendants, shortly after eight women and four men were selected to serve on the jury.

Richards told the court that the identification made by the witness was key to the case. The crown’s prosecuting counsel said she was related to two of the defendants and lived in the same neighbourhood as the third so she was very familiar with the men. Despite the darkness at the time of the crime Richards said the house and porch where Samuels was shot was well lit.

The crown’s case is that McField, Douglas and Ebanks had quarreled with the deceased earlier in the evening and then later came to the house to find him where armed with guns the three men acted together to commit the murder. Although Samuels was shot only once in the leg police found five empty shell casing at the scene.

The one gun shot which Samuels received proved to be fatal and Richards said the pathologist confirmed that the bullet penetrated Samuels’ femoral artery causing him to bleed to death.

The three men accused of killing Samuels are all represented by Queen’s Counsel from the UK and local defence attorneys Nicholas Dixie, Ben Tonner and Clyde Allen. The crown’s case is being made by Cheryl Richards QC, the solicitor general, supported by crown counsel Trisha Hutchinson.

The trial continues this afternoon with a video link to the first witness.