MURDER accused Omar Collymore came under pressure Wednesday during cross-examination by prosecutor Andrea Martin-Swaby.

Collymore and three co-accused are on trial in the Home Circuit Court for the murder of his wife, Simone Campbell-Collymore, and a taxi operator Winston Walters.

Campbell-Collymore and Walters were shot dead on January 2, 2018 by two gunmen outside the gates of the apartment complex in Red Hills, St Andrew, where Campbell-Collymore lived with her husband Omar.

The prosecutor, during cross-examination Wednesday, forced Collymore to admit that leading up to his wife’s murder, he had been in a terrible financial position.

The prosecutor pointed out that in evidence-in-chief Collymore had stated that when he and his wife moved to Jamaica it was her parents who helped both of them to set up business. In fact, the couple lived at the Campbells’ residence up until September 2018 when they moved following a major confrontation between Collymore and his father-in-law.

“Living with the Campbells, you wouldn’t have to pay rent, is that so?” Martin-Swaby probed.

Collymore responded saying, “We had to pay for certain things. We bought food and everybody had obligations. When I decided I would no longer live there, the responsibility in terms of month-to month-rent didn’t really fall on my shoulders. Yes, Simone and I had conversations about the effect of me being out there on my own financially.”

Martin-Swaby suggested to Collymore that months leading up to his wife’s murder, their two businesses were facing a lot of challenges and that he was struggling to take care of his own financial obligations when he moved out of the Campbells’ residence.

“No. I was not struggling, no. I was not in need of money,” he said, which prompted the prosecutor to play a voice message he sent to Simone which proved the contrary.

In the audio that was played in court, Collymore said, “Maybe I didn’t say that it was a great idea, but realistically, if we are in the same page, I have been busting my ass trying to find new customers, so for you to be saying that I don’t care about the relationship or anything, no. Your idea of having this relationship and saving this marriage is that we end up in the same house without working out the issues we had before we do certain things. Life doesn’t work all or nothing, Simone.

“All I am trying to explain to you is, instead of going after each other in front of the kids in the same house, let us just do what we need to do to get back our friendship and solidify what we have. The business will come, but it is like you are not understanding that because you gave me an ultimatum and you are trying to say you didn’t try to give me an ultimatum. Come on, you said I can use my time to do whatever but then I don’t have any money to do anything because the Clock Tower store is all set in bills and doing this and doing that.

“You see that I don’t take any money from Clock Tower. The only time I took money from Clock Tower was when I came back. I took $5,000 from Clock Tower because I didn’t have no money in my pocket. I am trying to explain to you that you can go out here [Jamaica] and get your apartment and whatever, but Omar is still stranded. Omar is supposed to come to you begging on his knees for money. If that is what you expect, I ain’t doing it. I expect at least you adhere to certain needs I do have. You can pay a first month’s rent and deposit. You have got that money to do so. I never ran you down or try to kill you or anything like that. You asked me and I told you I wanted to use the title for the Jeep to do whatever, but the Jeep is in your name, Simone. That is a main fact,” Collymore was heard saying in the audio.

The prosecutor then asked Collymore why he initially said he wasn’t struggling monetarily and asked if he wanted to change his answer.

Collymore said: “Yes, ma’am. I did say the business needs to adhere to the needs that I have,” he said, admitting that the business debt was neck-high.

Martin-Swaby then posed more questions as she sought to prove the prosecution’s case against Collymore.

“Miss McGregor, who you indicated you had an intimate relationship with, gave evidence in this case. She indicated that you asked her back for the money that you invested in her ice cream parlour or gave her to set up the ice cream parlour. Miss McGregor said that in December 2017, you approached her for the money. How much did you give to her?” Martin- Swaby asked.

In response, Collymore said, “Over a period that business probably cost me about $3 million. When I asked her for the money I was asking her for the $3 million dollars. She and I were no longer in a relationship and she indicated that that would not be possible. I did not get back any of the money I invested in the business. At the time when I asked for the funds I was not living under the Campbells’ roof.”

McGregor and Collymore were said to have been having an affair during the period of his marriage to Simone.

Collymore later told the court that he had been shot about a week after his wife’s murder, and said he was scared, based on what had happened to his wife. He claimed that, as a citizen of the United States, he was advised by the US Embassy to leave Jamaica as it was not safe.

It was also disclosed in court that Collymore did not attend his wife’s funeral.

“The day of my wife’s funeral I was taken off a plane at the Norman Manley International Airport, but I did not know it was the day of her funeral. I learned that when I got arrested and they took me to Constant Spring [Police Station]. That’s when they told me. I was leaving the island to go home to Florida. I knew she was not buried as yet, so I had plans of coming back to Jamaica safely when I saw fit. I was issued a warning by the US Embassy to leave. I saw it fit to leave,” he said.

The others also on trial for the double murder are Michael Adams, Shaquilla Edwards, and Dwayne Pink.

It is alleged that Collymore put out a hit on his wife, which he has denied.