The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

ABLE Seaman Jevon Seymour is now a free man after a Supreme Court jury yesterday found him not guilty of murdering his superior officer at Government House in 2019.

Seymour was accused of fatally shooting Petty Officer Percival Perpall and attempting to kill Marine Seamen Calvin Hanna and Ellis Rahming while the three men were on duty in a guardroom on the property on April 28, 2019.

A week after Crown and defence counsel presented their closing arguments, a jury of eight women brought back unanimous not guilty verdicts on the count of murder, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of possession of a firearm with the intent to endanger life brought against Mr Seymour.

The hearing began with a summation of the case by Senior Justice Bernard Turner. The matter was then turned over to the jury shortly after 3pm for deliberation. Less than two hours later, the jurors returned with their not guilty verdict.

As a result, Mr Seymour was discharged and told he was “free to go”. Before leaving the precincts of the court, he hugged his attorney Murrio Ducille. He then formed a prayer circle with his family outside of the courtroom. As he joined hands with his supporters, one of his relatives could be heard praying for the family of PO Perpall.

The woman said while they were grateful that Mr Seymour was “vindicated”, they were still praying for justice for the petty officer and for the “true culprits to be brought to light”.

Mr Seymour was initially accused of murdering PO Perpall, whose body was found “motionless” and slumped over on a couch with bullet wounds in a guardroom at Government House around 2.30am on April 28, 2019.

The Crown’s case relied on the testimonies of over 20 witnesses, including the account of Marine Seaman Hanna who identified Seymour as the man he saw shoot at him and PO Perpall at the time of the incident.

During the trial, Mr Hanna testified that a short time after he spoke with PO Perpall, he heard the “cocking of a gun” and when he looked through the guardroom’s door, he saw Seymour.

He claimed he saw Seymour point a .9mm firearm at PO Perpall and shoot. He also said the acquitted man fired at him, which prompted him to throw himself behind an office desk in the guardroom to avoid being shot.

The prosecution had led the argument that Seymour and PO Perpall had “bad blood” due to a situation which allegedly occurred when the two were stationed on Ragged Island shortly before the murder. However, Seymour denied this.

When Seymour took the stand in his defence, he established his alibi. He said around 11pm on April 27, 2019, he left his home to attend a Valley Boys Junkanoo party at the Farm. He said it was a “celebration all night” and people were “drinking and smoking cigars.”

Seymour said he left the Junkanoo party around 2.30am with his co-worker Marine Seaman Percentie to head to a soca concert at Breezes resort. He said he ended up seeing two of his co-workers in a skybox at the event and joined them for a “few more drinks.”

After he left the concert around 3.15am, Seymour said he travelled east towards Goodman’s Bay, before riding downtown past Commonwealth Bank and a night club and making his way towards the Wulff Road traffic light. He said after he dropped his co-worker home, he continued onto Robinson Road and made his way to his own residence.

During the trial, Petty Officer Atama Bowe also testified of seeing Seymour at the Carnival function at Breezes on the morning in question. Retired Petty Officer Steve Brown also recalled when Seymour drove his car to his nightclub around 3.20am, to ask him if he was closed.

When Valley Boys event coordinator Alexstine Daxon gave evidence on behalf of Seymour, she said she was the person at the gate distributing tickets and wristbands at the Junkanoo party on the eve of PO Perpall’s death. Mrs Daxon claimed she saw Seymour, a drummer for the group, at the party “sitting on a bench with a couple of fellows and smoking a cigar”.

She also said he was one of the last persons to leave and stated she “wouldn’t lie and go to hell for no one.”