DENVALYN “Bubbla” Minott, the star witness in the Everton “Beachy Stout” McDonald murder trial, looked uneasy Wednesday during cross-examination by defence attorney Christopher Townsend.

The witness had told the court he secretly recorded telephone conversations he had with McDonald.

McDonald, who is a Portland businessman, is on trial in the Home Circuit Court in Kingston along with Oscar Barnes, for the July 20, 2020 murder of Tonia McDonald, who was the businessman’s second wife. Her partially burned body was found on the main road in Sherwood Forest in Portland with multiple stab wounds and her throat slashed.

Minott, who claimed he was just a contractor in the killing, alleged that he got the job from McDonald to kill Tonia and that he ended up subcontracting the hit to Barnes. Minott was sentenced to 19 years and 10 months in prison for his role after her confessed and agreed to become prosecution witness against McDonald and Barnes.

Townsend, who is one of five attorneys representing McDonald, questioned Minott about phones he claimed he used to record the conversations and whether those types of phones accepted memory cards.

He asked the witness if he recalled giving evidence that he recorded from a yellow phone.

Minott said, “Yes, sir, a yellow peanut phone.”

The attorney then asked him if he, in fact, recorded using the “peanut phone”.

“Some of them,” Minott responded.

Townsend then probed if he truly recorded approximately 120 calls between himself and McDonald.

“It was over 100. I don’t remember the exact number. I handed over all of these recordings that I know was on the phone and memory card that I handed to the police. All of the recordings were on the memory chip,” Minott told the court.

Townsend asked him whether he had read the transcripts of the recordings he gave to police and Minott told him he cannot read and, therefore, did not read the transcripts. Minott said that a lady read it to him but he “never understood it” so he wasn’t listening.

Townsend asked if he agreed that the police made him listen to 38 recordings and Minott said that he did not know how many recordings were played or how many he listened to.

“They told me to identify the voices. Mr Townsend, I don’t know if I listened to over 100 recordings. I don’t remember if I heard all of the recordings I supplied to the police. I know I heard something,” Minott said.

The attorney probed whether he recalled telling the court that McDonald would take phones and SIM cards from him and replace them with new ones on different occasions.

Minott’s response was, “I never tell you that he gave me new chip. Each time he gave me a phone, he gave me two chips. I don’t know if the chips were new or old.

“I don’t know if the numbers were new. Each time I get the two chips, I never checked on the numbers dem. I used the phones and the two chips to call Mr McDonald and Miss Mac [Tonia]. I never used it to call anyone else. I got chip from him four times. On each occasion I put it in the phone received. I call Mr McDonald from it and he would call me on it.”

Minott continued, “All of these phones can hold a memory card. That is how I came by these recordings.”

Townsend quizzed Minott as to when he made a particular recording and if he used a “peanut phone” to record it.

“I just know it was in 2020. It was a black banger phone that Mr McDonald gave me that I used to do that recording. I don’t remember the brand,” an annoyed Minott said after being pressed by Townsend to declare the brand of the phone he said he recorded it on.

Minott claimed during his testimony in September last year that he began to record the conversations with the businessman after he wasn’t forthcoming with the $3 million he alleged was promised for the contract killing.

The trial continues today.