The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE prosecution closed its case yesterday in the murder trial stemming from the fatal shooting of a man at a car wash on East Street in 2021, after calling its final witnesses before the Supreme Court.

Crown prosecutor Eucal Bonaby formally closed the prosecution’s case in the trial of Tevin Bethel, 28, before Justice Guillimina Archer-Minnis. Bethel then elected to remain silent and called no witnesses in his defence, clearing the way for closing submissions from both sides on Monday.

Prosecutors allege that Bethel shot and killed Michael Thompson Jr on the afternoon of July 12, 2021, during an incident on East Street. The case has centred on eyewitness testimony, forensic evidence and police handling of a suspect vehicle and identification procedures.

Dr Kiko Bridgwater, a pathologist at Princess Margaret Hospital, testified earlier in the trial that he performed an autopsy on Thompson Jr on July 21, 2021, after the body was identified by the deceased’s father, Michael Thompson Sr, on July 13. Dr Bridgwater said Thompson Jr died from multiple gunshot wounds, including injuries to the head, back of the neck, left scrotum and left thigh.

He told the court that one bullet entered from the top of the deceased’s head, ricocheted and exited through the same wound, causing a fractured skull and brain injuries. Another bullet entered from the left side of the scrotum, travelled into the left thigh and fractured the femur, with bullet fragments recovered from that wound. Dr Bridgwater said there was no evidence of close-range discharge.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Mario Durell testified that on July 12, 2021, he photographed a heavily tinted blue Nissan March in the Ridgeland Park area in connection with the shooting. He said the vehicle bore licence plate number AQ4920, though a registration disc displayed a different number.

ASP Durell said the vehicle was towed to Criminal Investigation Department headquarters, where he conducted a sweep for latent fingerprints, recovering 12 prints from the hood, left window, left door and rear-view mirror. A witness had previously testified that the shooter exited from the left side of the vehicle, which is right-hand drive.

He told the court that the prints were sent to the fingerprint section for analysis, though he did not have the results. Under cross-examination by defence attorney Cassie Bethel, ASP Durell said the investigating officer was responsible for obtaining the analysis. He also said gloves found in the vehicle were not processed because he was not asked to do so by the investigator.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Chris Taylor testified that on July 21, 2021, he asked Bethel, while he was in a holding cell, whether he wished to participate in an identification parade. After being informed of his rights, Bethel agreed.

ASP Taylor said Bethel selected participants from persons in custody and volunteers from the street with similar characteristics. Eleven people participated alongside Bethel, who was number three in the lineup. He said a female eyewitness became emotional, fell to the ground and cried before identifying Bethel as the shooter.

Under questioning, ASP Taylor said he did not know how long Bethel had been in custody before the parade and confirmed that none of the participants wore a hoodie, despite earlier testimony from the eyewitness that the shooter had been wearing a hoodie and jacket. He said the investigator did not attend the parade to ensure fairness.

Sergeant Andrew Deveaux testified that the same female witness was distraught when giving her police statement, saying she was in tears because she had lost someone close to her. When asked whether it would have been better to delay the interview until she was more composed, Sergeant Deveaux said the witness experienced mixed emotions throughout the process. He also told the court that the jacket allegedly worn by the shooter was never recovered.