A detective sergeant testified yesterday that when he charged Constable Rushon Hamilton with the murder of 14-year-old Jhaneel Goulbourne, the only thing the accused man wanted to know was if the girl's body had been found.

Detective Sergeant Conrad Granston, who is assigned to the Elletson Road Police Station, told a jury of 12 in the Home Circuit Court that he went to the Horizon Adult Remand Centre in Kingston on February 14, 2009 where he cautioned and charged Hamilton with murder.

Granston testified to the following exchange with Hamilton after cautioning him:

Hamilton: "Only one question mi [want to] ask."

Granston: "What [is] the question?"

Hamilton: "Unnu find no body?"

Granston: "No."

Hamilton: "That's all mi waa know."

A witness, who was a cellmate of Hamilton's in October 2008, testified last week that Hamilton confessed to him that he killed Goulbourne at sea and dumped her body. The witness testified further that Hamilton also remarked that he was 99.99 per cent certain that the teen's body would never be found.

Another witness — Newton Bentley, a constable who also shared a cell with Hamilton at the Central Police Station in October 2008 — testified on Tuesday to hearing the accused telling a cellmate that after he and other men took Goulbourne out to sea he tied cinder blocks around her before shooting her and dumping her body.

Yesterday, Granston's testimony was cut short as a juror would not have been available for the afternoon session of court. Granston is to continue his evidence today.

The morning session of the trial was taken up with a continued application by the prosecution to have the June 2009 statement of Kemar Johnson admitted into evidence under the Evidence Amendment Act. Johnson is now deceased, the court was told.

Hamilton has been on trial for the past two weeks.

Goulbourne was abducted from the gate of her Harbour View, St Andrew home in October 2008 and was never seen or heard from again.

Her abduction followed the filing of a complaint that led to Hamilton being charged with carnal abuse.