The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FREEPORT – A key prosecution witness told the Supreme Court yesterday that he loaned his vehicle – which was found at a crime scene in Eight Mile Rock in July 2009 – to one of the defendants, who is on trial for murder.

Derek Gordon testified that murder accused Garvin Adderley borrowed his white Ford Taurus, which was discovered in a yard at Jones Town on July 15 during the early morning hours when 33-year-old container port worker Denzel Jones was murdered.

Adderley and Raymond Pennington are accused of Jones’s murder. It is alleged that they kicked open the front door of the victim’s apartment and demanded money.

The victim was attacked and stabbed before being thrown from the window of his second-story apartment.

Jones, who died of blood loss, told a female police officer he recognised the voice of one of his attackers as that of Raymond Pennington, who worked at the container port with him.

Gordon was also charged with murder of Jones along with Adderley and Pennington, but had the murder charges withdrawn against him three months ago in exchange for him becoming a witness for the prosecution.

In this testimony, he told the court that his friend “Blue,” whom he identified in court as Garvin Adderley, borrowed his vehicle around 11pm on July 14 and midnight.

Gordon said Adderley told him that he was going to see a woman in the “Rocks.” He said it was not the first time he had loaned Adderley his vehicle.

Gordon said his vehicle was impounded at Central Police Station for 13 months before it was returned to him.

“Do you know Raymond Pennington or Denzel Jones? Carlson Shurland asked.

“No Sir,” he replied.

Prosecution witness Serge Dumont told the court he saw a white car on the morning of July 15, 2009, parked in Larry Jones Yard in Jones Town, EMR.

Dumont, who was assisted by a Creole speaking interpreter, lived in Larry Jones Yard.

He said he was outside around 6.30am raking up garbage when he saw two men – one bareback – standing by a white car parked behind Larry Jones’ truck. He never saw that car in the yard before.

According to his description, one of the men was short and the other was tall.

Patrice Williams, a resident of Bayshore Road in Jones Town, said during the early morning hours of the day in question she heard her dog barking at the bushes and went outside to check.

She said she later saw a man bending down in bushes near her property.

She went back inside and called the police. The man was wearing a dark shirt and jeans, she recalled.

Sidney Rolle, a resident of Martin Hill, EMR, also recalled hearing someone in the bushes that morning. He said a man ran from bushes toward the shore.

He followed the man on his bicycle, but the man jumped into sea with his clothes on and swam away from him heading in an eastern direction, the witness said.

Rolle said the man came out of the water and ran across the street to the police station. He said he rode off on his bike and came upon a roadblock where he learned about the murder.

He said he told a police officer about the young man he spotted earlier.

They went back to the Bay Shore, where they later retrieved one white tennis shoe, and a sock with a suspected bloodstain, he said.

When asked by Carlson Shurland whether the police had him participate in an ID parade, Rolle said, “No.”

Police officer 3191 Sweeting was on duty at the EMR Rock Police Station around 6.40am when he received certain information and proceeded to Jones Town, he told the court.

He said he and a female officer Nesbitt went to a two-story apartment building, where saw a dark man lying on his back in a blood.

The victim, he said, was wearing a singlet and boxer shorts.

He said the victim pointed to an upper window, where there were suspected bloodstains.

Officer Sweeting said he went upstairs and observed a bloody footprint on the concrete floor. He saw a door half open and pushed it open. He saw more blood on the tiles.

He said he went back down stairs and waited for Scene of Crime officers.

Officer Sweeting said he left a scene around 7.20am and went back to the EMR Station.

He said a dark man came into the station wet and wearing only boxers.

The officer said the man identified himself as Garvin Adderley.

He said Adderley was gasping for breath, and had scratches marks on his elbow and abdomen.

Adderley told him that two men robbed him of his watch and gold ring, and that he jumped into the sea where he fell on a rock and scratched himself.

Officer Sweeting said as a result of information he received, he arrested Adderley.

The trial continues on Thursday.