A light-hearted verbal joust between a defence attorney and a prosecutor elicited an emotional response from Dr Claudette Clarke as she underwent cross-examination during the trial of three soldiers charged with murder in the shooting death of her husband, accountant Keith Clarke, almost 14 years ago.

During a temporary pause in the proceedings, King’s Counsel (KC) Valerie Neita-Robertson and the prosecutor had an exchange, which resulted in a bit of laughter between them.

“I don’t find it funny. It is not funny to me. It has been a rough time for me,” a tearful Dr Clarke told Neita-Robertson, who in response told the witness to calm down as she was sharing a light-hearted moment with her colleague.

“Madam, your lawyer is running a little joke with me and you need to understand these things. Just relax. It doesn’t concern you. You need to stop,” Neita-Robertson told Dr Clarke.

Considering the emotional state of the witness, trial judge Dale Palmer adjourned the matter until Monday.

Dr Clarke is the first witness in the murder trial of lance corporals Greg Tingling and Odel Buckley, and Private Arnold Henry.

Keith Clarke was killed inside his Kirkland Heights home in St Andrew on May 26, 2010, during a police-military operation to nab then-fugitive Christopher “Dudus” Coke, who was wanted by the United States for gun and drug trafficking.

Earlier on Tuesday, during cross-examination of the witness, Neita-Robertson revealed that Dr Clarke had given a statement saying that her husband could have fired his licensed firearm at the soldiers.

Dr Clarke had told the court previously that when the security forces swooped down on their house and gunshots started to ring out, her husband told her to take their teenage daughter into the bathroom inside the master bedroom and hide there.

She said she knew he went outside before coming back into the room and climbing atop the closet to hide. She had given evidence that her husband was shot as he attempted to come down from atop the closet and that he did not have anything in his hands when he was climbing down.

“You were aware that your husband returned fire in defence of his family and property. At the time you made that statement, were you aware of it?” Neita-Robertson asked Dr Clarke on Tuesday.

“I did not see,” Dr Clarke replied.

Neita-Robertson then asked her why she made the statement saying so.

Dr Clarke replied, “If the ballistics prove that it came from his gun, that is the stance I have to take.”

Neita-Robertson shot back, “You, of your own volition, made a statement that your husband fired at the security forces outside. So you lied on your husband? I am just asking you, you not only said it in the affidavit, you said to KC [Peter] Champagnie in the preliminary hearing when you swore on the Bible to tell the truth and nothing but the truth.”

Dr Clarke responded that she had assumed that her husband fired at the security forces.

“I did not see him. I know that he left the room and went out and we were inside the bathroom,” she said.