KINGSTON, Jamaica-The lead investigator in the murder trial of Everton “Beachy Stout” McDonald and his co-accused, Oscar Barnes, was pressured by attorney-at-law Christopher Townsend on Tuesday, to admit that he had numerous opportunities to record what Beachy Stout’s voice sounded like during conversations he had with the Portland businessman.

Townsend is one of five attorneys representing Beachy Stout in the Home Circuit Court trial in downtown Kingston.

The other attorneys-at-law representing the businessman are Earl Hamilton, Ryan Jon-Paul Hamilton, John Jacobs and Courtney Rowe.

The attorneys representing Oscar Barnes are Earnest Davis and Vincent Wellesley.

Beachy Stout and Barnes are being tried for the July 20, 2020 murder in Portland of Tonia McDonald, who was Beachy Stout’s second wife.

She was stabbed and her throat slashed. Her killer also set her and the motor vehicle she was driving on fire.

READ: Post-mortem: ‘Beachy Stout’s’ second wife stabbed 12 times

On Tuesday, Townsend received the admission from the cop during cross-examination after numerous attempts by the lawyer, who had to pose the question many times, in different ways, before the detective gave a straightforward response.

“I would have had numerous opportunities to record his voice but I don’t have a need to record him. I met with him on several occasions and had conversations with him, and a question and answer,” the cop said.

Townsend also quizzed the detective about the reasons why he omitted from his statements, information about a controversial cellular phone on which more than 120 call conversations between Beachy Stout and Denvalyn “Bubbla” Minott were allegedly recorded.

READ: Witness recorded over 120 phone conversations with Beachy Stout

Minott is serving a 19-year and 10-month prison sentence for being the contractor in the murder of Beachy Stout’s wife. Beachy Stout is accused of hiring Minott to kill Tonia, but Minnot claimed that he sub-contracted the job to Oscar Barnes.

It is alleged that Beachy Stout and Minott had numerous telephone conversations which Minott claims he recorded on his Samsung cellular phone.

The cellphone evidence is being relied on heavily by the prosecutors.

The lead detective insisted on Tuesday that he was not hiding anything.

“I am not hiding information. I agree that the information came out after the case started and I had three years to give the information. Leaving out the information out of diaries and statements wasn’t deliberate. It was in my notebook. I didn’t hide it, but I think it was fair to keep the information until after the trial started. Not every information can go in a statement. I would put it in a statement when it becomes critical. The prosecutor instructed me to write a third statement about the phone as it relates to the chain of custody.”

The detective sergeant said that during investigations, errors can be made.

“We can make errors at anytime. To leave the details about the phone out of my statement was an error. It wasn’t deliberate.”

The trial is currently underway in the Home Circuit Court.