The man accused of being contracted to kill Simone Campbell-Collymore testified on Thursday that he and the slain woman’s husband, Omar Collymore — who is one of four men on trial for the January 2 2018 murder — spoke to each other every day on the phone only about business, girls, and parties.

Additionally, Michael Adams told the court that the only time he had gone to the Collymores’ house was when to took a plumber there.

Adams, Collymore, Shaquilla Edwards and Dwayne Pink are on trial in the Home Circuit Court, downtown Kingston, for the murder of Collymore’s wife and taxi operator Winston Walters. Both were killed outside the main gate of Forest Ridge apartment complex where Campbell-Collymore lived. They were shot dead just before 4:00 pm by two men who were travelling on motorcycles.

It is alleged that Collymore contracted Adams to get a hit man to take out his wife, while Edwards and Pink are said to be part of the conspiracy to have the woman killed.

Adams, in an unsworn statement in court, said he and Collymore were business associates and therefore had good reasons to communicate with each other, even at odd hours of the night or morning, from December 16, 2017 to Janaury 2, 2018.

He insisted that he and the other men never spoke about murdering anyone at any point in time.

“The calls between me and Mr Collymore that were in the early morning, we would be talking about business, life, girls, and parties. I know he was married, but girls are girls and men are men. We are typically human,” Adams said, adding that men are not perfect and tend to cheat sometimes.

“Me and the other men never spoke about any sort of killing or murder. I do not know any one of the accused as no killer. I know Mr Pink conducts business on the same lane where my grandmother lives and where I live also. He sells tobacco (grabba) by the pound and sometimes I would make a link for him to see if anybody want grabba to buy. I would introduce new people to his business as well. We talk about a lot of things, but no killing,” Adams testified.

He said that he knew one of the alleged shooters in the double murder
— a man by the name of Jim who is now deceased. But Adams denied knowing the other shooter, Wade Blackwood.

Blackwood, who pleaded guilty to the double murder, received a reduction in his prison sentence in return for giving evidence against Collymore, Adams, and the others.

“Me and Mr Blackwood never spoke and Mr Blackwoood knows nothing about me. Me and Mr Blackwood are not in any gang in the Brooke Valley area. Me and Mr Blackwood never had any conversations, but me and Jim had conversations, based on our relation and my business,” Adams said.

He then went on to explain what he had meant in text messages between himself and Jim in reference to a request for him to send Jim the licence plate numbers on specific vehicles in downtown, Kingston.

“In Mr Blackwood’s statement, he said that I had a meeting with Jim and him, accompanied by Mr Pink. I never went to Brooke Valley that day when he said I had a meeting with Mr Jim about contract killing. Me and Mr Blackwood never had any conversations of the sort. He stated that he knew me over a period of 10 years. I did not know Mr Blackwood until the day I went into custody. On Janaury 2, 2018, I was conducting business in the downtown area.

“In the text messages between me and Jim, he asked me for a favour to see if two cars were in a lane. I saw the cars and texted him two licence plate numbers. I did not know his intentions or what he was about to do. Me and Mr Jim’s business was not to conduct any killing or murder,” Adams insisted.

He also sought to explain what was meant in a text message between himself and Collymore in which the description of a vehicle was given and in which there was a level of urgency to accomplish something.

It was also revealed in court that Adams went to pay Collymore’s wife a visit at a church in Duhaney Park on one occasion.

“I went to the church at Duhaney Park to give her the damaged goods. On my way to Duhaney Park my phone died. I went to New Haven where I know Mr Edwards lived to let him know that I needed a call. I borrowed his phone and contacted Mr Collymore from Mr Edwards’ phone. On December 31, 2017, Mr Collymore gave me a hover board after I asked him for it. It had battery problems and needed to be fixed. It was no down-payment for any contract for any killing,” Adams told the court.

Adams also claimed that while in police custody he was physically abused by cops, who pressured him to sign certain documents without his attorney present.

“The day I turned myself in at the Constant Spring Police Station, they carried me to search my premises on the 29th of January. While at the Central Police Station, I indicated to a policeman that I needed my lawyer before I speak or answered to anything. He turned to me and said I didn’t need any lawyer because a me and mi friend dem go kill di people dem up a Red Hills. They went on bad with me. Dem all cut mi two box. Dem ask me who was my lawyer and I told them. When my lawyer came, I told him I would fight the case because I do not know anything about any murder,” Adams said.

On Wednesday, Omar Collymore, from the witness box, gave the seven-member jury similar reasons why he and Adams would have communicated frequently, from December to January. However, he never mentioned having any conversations with Adams about parties and women.

Facing cross-examination from prosecutor Andrea Martin Swaby on Wednesday, Collymore said there was nothing strange about the frequency of the calls to and from Adams and the time those calls were made.

The trial continues today.