Lawyer questions ID parade results
A St James man accused of the January 12, 2021 murder of Jamaican Canadian resident Collin Wright will learn on October 31 whether he will be granted bail.
Attorney-at-law Chumu Paris made the bail application on Kimani Alcott’s behalf following his appearance in the St James Parish Court on Thursday.
Paris argued that the prosecution witness’s statement, which was given to the police regarding the incident, did not match a later statement which he provided.
“The witness did not see the killing, but when he reviewed the security footage, he said it was the same men who came earlier that day. He reportedly said, ‘Can I ask him [Alcott] to move, because the man walks with a limp.’ But the statement makes no mention of him being able to identify the accused by the way he walks, and the identification parade serves no useful purpose,” said Paris.
The prosecution, however, opposed bail on the grounds that Alcott had a prior gun-related charge and that he might interfere with the witness. It was also disclosed that the prosecution’s case file was incomplete.
Presiding judge Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley subsequently remanded Alcott until October 31, at which time she will make a ruling on whether he will be granted bail.
Alcott is charged with the murder of 46-year-old Wright of Stainton Drive, Mississauga, Canada, and injuring another man. The incident allegedly took place while Wright was visiting relatives at a section of the community known as Bottom Cambridge.
According to the allegations, shortly after 7:00 pm on the day in question, Wright was sitting in the yard with his cousin who operates a shop.
Two men posing as customers ordered cigarettes and rum but were informed that there was none available. They left but later returned. One of the men brandished a handgun and opened fire hitting Wright multiple times before fleeing the scene. The other man in Wright’s company was also injured in the attack.
The police were summoned and upon arrival Wright was rushed to the Cornwall Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
