Cop witnessed colleagues abduct men
KINGSTON, Jamaica — A witness, who is a former police officer, testified on Friday that two of the three police officers on trial for murder drove out of the Washington Plaza with two men who were not seen or heard from since.
Assistant Superintendent Victor Barrett detective Corporal Louis Lynch and Detective Constable Paul Edwards are being tried in the Home Circuit Court for the murder of Kemar Walters and Oliver Duncan, who were abducted from the Washington Plaza, along the Washington Boulevard on December 23, 2004.
On Friday, the witness, who was a part of the Organised Crime Investigation Division’s (OCID) Gang Intelligence Unit, told the Court that he, Edwards and Corporal Lawrence Clayton left the OCID office in a red Honda Civic for Patrick City to make enquiries.
He said on the way back from Patrick City, Edwards, who was the driver, pointed to a blue Honda CRV parked in the plaza, saying that the vehicle was stolen.
Walters was sitting in the CRV, the witness testified. The witness said he asked Walters who was the owner of the vehicle and that he pointed to Duncan who was coming from an auto parts store on the plaza.
The witness said he questioned Duncan about the ownership of the vehicle he said that it was his.
The witness further told the court that he never got satisfactory answers regarding the ownership and decided that the men should be taken to the OCID. He said Edwards objected to this, saying that the men could lead them to other stolen vehicles.
He said Edwards called someone, telling the person where they were.
Edwards then told him and Clayton to wait as Lynch and Constable Silvera were on their way. Twenty minutes after the call both Lynch and Silvera came in a white Toyota Corolla, being driven by Lynch.
He said that Silvera came out of the vehicle, leaving Lynch behind the steering wheel. Duncan and Walters were then taken from the red Civic and placed in the back seat of the Corolla.
Edwards and Silvera then got into the Corolla, which was driven out of the plaza, leaving behind the witness and Clayton. The red Civic and the CRV were also left there, the witness testified.
Evidence had been given this week that a burnt out blue Honda CRV was found along the Port Royal Main road on December 25, 2004.
