LOUD hissing sounds, grumbles and angry mutterings of “think a some joke ting” registered the disgust of several defendants in the ongoing trial of alleged members of the Tesha Miller faction of the Klansman gang on Tuesday, when a prosecution witness who had failed at his first attempt to identify their co-accused, Michael Wildman, succeeded after a second effort.

Wildman is jointly charged with accused Lamar Rowe, on count 19 of the indictment, with knowingly facilitating the commission of a serious offence by a criminal organisation — the murder of St Catherine man William Christian on April 18, 2020. 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.

The witness, a detective sergeant, taking the stand for the first time Tuesday morning, had testified that he was the investigating officer for the incident wherein the 47-year-old records officer was shot dead and the other man injured during the daring daylight attack.

The detective sergeant, who said he was the one to record the statement of the other man, told the court he had also met and interviewed a third man, who was the one to drive Christian to hospital and who had been detained by cops for three days during the probe.

He told the court that some time in November 2020 he spoke to an “apprehensive” inmate at a particular lock-up who indicated that he wanted to share some details but was timid to do so at that location. He said arrangements were made for an off-site interview to be conducted at which point a lengthy video-recorded witness statement was collected, lasting several hours.

Following that statement the sleuth said the accused, Wildman, who was at that time in custody at Greater Portmore Police Station (known colloquially as 100 Man station), was placed on his radar. He said he visited the facility and informed Wildman of the investigations and his intent to place him in an identification parade.

When asked if he would be able to identify Wildman if he saw him again, the cop said ‘Yes’. However, Wildman’s attorney, Paul Gentles, in asking that the cop dismount the stand and wait outside, voiced concern that the men being seated in the order they were listed on the indictment might put the identification down to an academic exercise, and requested that his client change his seating position. When that request was granted, albeit with objections from the prosecution, the lawman returned to the courtroom and proceeded to look at the defendants in order to identify Wildman.

When asked by presiding judge Justice Dale Palmer, “Have you seen the person?”, the cop replied, “No Milord, but I am certain I saw him since morning in the court.” This attracted snorts of laughter from the defendants.

Amidst strenuous objections from Gentles, the lawman requested and obtained permission to take “one more look”.

When Justice Palmer repeated his order for all males seated in the courtroom to remove any face coverings so the detective sergeant could plainly view them, several defendants expressed annoyance by hissing their teeth.

The cop, after intense moments, then said, “May I ask the man in the back [main dock] to stand,” effectively selecting a sulky Wildman and evoking grumbles which more or less heightened when the lead prosecutor urged, “Please stand, sir and shout your name”.

“A mussi some joke ting,” one defendant declared, alleging under his breath that someone had signalled to the lawman, using some surreptitious means, that Wildman had been reseated and so aided in his being picked out.

The cop then continued his evidence, giving the circumstances of his charging and cautioning of Wildman, and said the accused had replied “A bare lie da bwoy deh a tell pon mi”.

The lawman, who went on to identify the accused Lamar Rowe with far less drama, said he, in December 2020, arrested and charged Rowe when he came to the station to report, based on the conditions of his bail, in relation to another matter. According to the cop, he knew Rowe well as he saw him up to thrice weekly for about a year.

Details contained in statements read into court records earlier during the sitting revealed that the shooting had been carried out by “three gunmen” and that three firearms were used. Based on the autopsy done some 53 days after Christian was killed, the cause of death was due to massive bleeding, injury to both lungs, and multiple gunshot wounds.

The sleuth, whose testimony is expected to stretch into next week, according to the prosecution, will continue his evidence on Thursday at the Suprme Court in downtown Kingston.

The matter, however, resumes this morning at 10:00 when another witness will take the stand.