A Crown witness who said he rushed St Catherine resident William Christian to hospital after he found him suffering from “multiple gunshot wounds” shortly after they had shared drinks in April 2020, was on Monday peppered with questions from defence attorney Tamika Harris about whether he had been “arrested for the murder” and questioned by the police.

Christian’s murder is one of several on the 32-count indictment brought by the Crown in the ongoing trial of 25 suspected members of the so-called Tesha Miller faction of the Klansman gang in the Home Circuit Division of the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston.

Harris represents the accused Lamar Rowe who is jointly charged with Michael Wildman on count 19 of the indictment with knowingly facilitating the commission of a serious offence by a criminal organisation — the murder of Christian on April 18, 2020, while count 20 also charges both men with facilitating the commission of a serious offence by a criminal organisation — wounding with intent of another man who was also present at the house the day of the killing.

The witness, who had told the acting deputy director of public prosecutions during his evidence in chief on Monday that he knew Christian for three years and shared a “father-son relationship” with him, said he spent part of the day (April 18, 2020) at the home of Christian, who was an examiner at a depot, working on his vehicle.

He said following those repairs Christian returned with him to his house where, along with two other men, they drank cocktails of “rum, Boom and Campari”. He told the court that some moments later he borrowed Christian’s car to drive to a shop to purchase some items, only to return around half an hour later to see one of the men limping from the side of the house with a bloodied leg and Christian “lay across the verandah with multiple gunshot wounds”.

The witness, who said he lost all track of time, testified that he threw out his friend’s backpack onto the verandah, which was on the back seat of the car, while shouting for help to lift him into the seat. He described how he rushed with him and the other man to Spanish Town Hospital, telling the court that he, “push the cyar as hard as mi can”.

He also said when he found his friend on the ground, “Mi jus’ did a shake him an a seh ‘Chris, talk to mi,’ but nothing at all…[he was not] breathing or anything.”

Asked about the condition of his other friend, he chuckled at the memory, saying he was “moving around” and had walked to the vehicle on his own to be taken to the hospital.

He said Christian’s wife, who he later took to the hospital to see him, was the one to alert him to the fact that he had passed when she emerged from the hospital crying. He told the prosecutor that cops, upon arriving at the hospital, told him they wanted him to come by the station for questioning. He said he drove his dead friend’s car to the Spanish Town CIB where a statement was taken from him.

According to the witness, he was locked up for three days at the Linstead Police Station, and was released without being charged following a question-and-answer session at which his attorney was present.

But Harris, after the witness spoke of his ‘arrest’, wanted to know whether he had been “arrested for the murder” of Christian.

The witness replied, “No ma’am, I was not charged.”

“I didn’t ask you if you were charged, I said arrested for the murder?” the attorney responded.

“But if yuh a go seh mi arrested for the murder, what yuh trying to say?” the witness wanted to know.

“Sir, when you did the question and answer did the police say to you, ‘You are going to be asked questions in relation to murder,’ sir? Yes or no?” Harris demanded.

“Dem seh I must come and give a statement,” the witness replied tensely.

“When you did the question and answer, when the police were introducing themselves to you and tell you that they were going to ask some questions did they say to you, ‘You are going to be questioned in relation to the offence of murder’ ?” Harris persisted.

“Dem seh dem a go ask mi some question,” the witness replied.

“Sir, didn’t they say the offence of murder?” Harris pressed further.

“The offence of murder?” the witness queried.

“Yes, murder… didn’t the police say you are being questioned for the offence of murder?” Harris questioned.

“Dem a go question mi, yes,” the witness said evasively.

“For the offence of murder?” a persistent Harris asked.

“Yes,” the witness said glumly.

“For which you were in custody?” Harris continued doggedly.

“Yes, ma’am,” the witness said resignedly.

“And they subsequently asked you about the murder of Chris,” the attorney wanted to know.

“Yes,” the witness replied.

“So you were questioned by the police on the 22nd of April, 2020,” Harris drilled.

“If mi tell yuh di date, a lie mi a tell,” the witness said flatly.

Last Thursday a detective corporal and scenes of crimes officer who processed the scene, in a statement read into the records of the court, said when he visited the lot address of the house in the “residential area” he saw several spent casings on the road leading to the paved driveway as well as visible brown stains on the paved area leading to and on the verandah of the dwelling.

The detective corporal, who said he took several images of the area, listed 27 instances in which spent casings were seen at various points of the premises, including the driveway, and three areas where he saw “brown stains resembling blood”, in addition to “a damaged bullet” in the front doorway of the verandah and “a damaged bullet” seen on the inside of a fridge door.

The lawman said he later went to Spanish Town Police Station where a black and red backpack belonging to the deceased was pointed out to him. He said upon opening the bag he saw a black magazine containing 17 rounds of ammunition, an Acer tablet, Jamaican currency, a wallet, and several other personal items. Several other witnesses, including the Crown’s two star witnesses who were “eyewitnesses”, will be appearing physically to give evidence on the counts.

The trial resumes this morning at 10:00 before Supreme Court judge Justice Dale Palmer who is trying the matter sitting alone.