Court: Defendant Takes Stand In Murder Trial
The trial of Kiahna Trott-Edwards — who is charged with the murder of 16-year-old Shijuan Mungal — continued in the Supreme Court, with the jury hearing from Ms Trott-Edwards herself.
Mr Mungal died in September 2014 after sustaining head injuries, and Ms Trott-Edwards was charged with murder on September 12, 2014.
The jury previously heard from the bus driver operating the bus where the incident started, as well as Mr Mungal’s friend who was with him when the altercation took place.
Ms Trott-Edwards took the stand, and being questioned by her lawyer, Courtenay Griffiths QC, said that on September 8th, 2014, she boarded the Ord Road bus with her child and during the ride heard profanity and aggressive words.
She told the jury that following hearing the profanity, she asked, “Could you please have some respect because there are adults and children on the bus.”
Ms Trott-Edwards then said that Mr. Mungal, who she did not know at at the time, responded by telling her to “Shut up and turn around.”
She said she replied to Mr. Mungal that, “I couldn’t have been your mother because I would’ve cut your tail a long time ago,” and then pressed the button to get off the bus.
She said normally she would get off the bus closer to her home, however wanted to avoid any further confrontation.
She then told the jury that she arrived home, received an overseas phone call from a friend and since she had network service issues in her apartment she went to sit outside to take the call.
While sitting outside, she told the jury she noticed Mr. Mungal across the yard and said that when he saw her, he cursed saying that he was “tired of her.” She then said she asked him to leave the area.
Ms. Trott-Edwards then told the jury Mr. Mungal began walking towards her with his fists clenched, so she reached to pick up a bat.
Asked by her lawyer why the bat happened to be there, she explained that children from the neighborhood use it to play with.
She told the 12-person jury that, due to his body language, she believed that Mr. Mungal was coming to hit her, saying that he could have instead walked out of the area.
Ms. Trott-Edwards, who began to get emotional, said the bat connected with Mr. Mungal’s upper arm, and he then leaned in like he was going to hit her.
She said she then swung a second time aiming for his arm, however Mr. Mungal ducked and the bat ended up hitting him in his head which caused him to fall to the ground.
Ms Trott-Edwards, 32, has denied the charge of murder, and the trial continues.
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