| | | discharged: Don Crichlow, left, and Junior Joseph leave the Port of Spain Magistrates' Court yesterday. |
TWO murder accused who were never fingerprinted by the police were freed yesterday, after a second witness failed to "remember" what happened during the incident. Junior Joseph and Don Crichlow, both of Laventille Extension Road, Never Dirty, Morvant, were discharged of the May 5 murder of Jerome Batson. Cpl Andrew Lawrence of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations at Arouca charged the men for that murder. Jerome Batson, 22, a labourer of Coconut Drive, Morvant, was at his construction site at the Corner of Monroe Road and Second Street Extension in San Juan when he was shot several times. Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Carla Brown-Antoine appeared for the State while attorney Richard Clarke-Wills defended the two men. Cody Perry, of Cosmos Street, Chaconia Avenue, Morvant, testified before Chief Magistrate at the Port of Spain Eighth Magistrate's Court yesterday. He repeatedly said he could not really remember what happened, even though he had given the police two statements. At one point, McNicolls interrupted and said, "You said you were a Jehovah's Witness." To this Perry said yes and McNicolls added, "Well you better don't let down your religion." Perry eventually told the court he no longer wanted to proceed with the matter. "Everything just turned upside down since this matter," he told Brown-Antoine. When asked to explain he said he had not worked since and his brother, Ferrance Perry, was locked up and he could not help him. Ferrance Perry, 23, who also lived at Cosmos Street, and Jason Batson, who is the 24-year-old brother of deceased Jerome Batson, are charged with the murder of Anthoney Barker. Barker, 22, a PH driver of Rosewood Avenue, Coconut Drive, Morvant, was found dead by his younger brother on May 7, two days after Jerome Batson was killed. He too was shot. Brown-Antoine told the court that in light of what Cody Perry had said, she could not ask him any more questions to carry the case further. She had to do the same thing on Monday when Brevell George, a construction worker of Mon Repos Road, Morvant, said he did not remember what happened with respect to Jerome Batson. When the Barker enquiry came up Monday, another witness, Marley Johnson, who is unemployed and from Rosewood Avenue, Coconut Drive, also said he could not remember what occurred. Brown-Antoine said then she needed to look at the completed file to see if the State could go further with that matter and it was put to Monday. Upon leaving the court, Crichlow said justice had prevailed, Jesus Christ was Lord and that God was great, so he knew justice would have prevailed. As for refusing to give his finger prints to the police, he smiled and said he knew nothing about that. -Hayden Mills |
