Facebook Updates Shown In Shooting Trial

Yesterday [Nov.17] during the Supreme Court attempted murder trial of Royunde Stevens Cyrus, the defence lawyer produced an 84 page printout of the victim’s Facebook page, questioning him about various postings as well as the amount of ‘friends’ he had.

In March of this year, then 16-year-old Jahrockia Smith-Hassell was shot multiple times, and previously in the trial Smith-Hassell identified 24-year-old Royunde Stevens Cyrus has his alleged shooter.

On the witness stand yesterday under cross-examination of defence attorney Shade Subair, the shooting victim admitted that on the day that he was shot, he had been drinking Chivas and Hennessy, and smoking cannabis since the morning of that day.

He said he smoked approximately five or six spliffs that day, with the last one being smoked around 8:00pm that evening.

He described himself as ‘high’ but not drunk on the night that he was shot: “I was not drunk. I was high.” Later, being re-examined by the DPP Prosecutor he said that the narcotic had “no effect on me.”

Pressing on the matter of positive identification, Ms Subair asked Smith-Hassell if Royunde Cyrus was the same person who, about thirty minutes before the shooting, had asked Smith-Hassell for a cigarette.

She went further and asked Smith-Hassell if he was unfazed by the request. Smith-Hassell said that he had no concern: “I had no reason to believe that Royunde wished me any harm when he asked for a cigarette.”

Smith-Hassell described a period when a group that he said included Royunde Cyrus was slowly walking past him and his friends on the night. Smith-Hassell, under cross-examination, described speaking to his friends, saying that: “I asked them if he went down Middletown or not. They did not answer so I turned and looked.”

Asked by Ms Subair when he first became interested in the presence of the person he was identifying as Royunde, Smith-Hassell said: “When he started walking slowly past me.”

Following up on Smith-Hassell’s reactions immediately following the shooting, Ms Subair asked if, during the 30 minutes that it took for the ambulance to arrive and while he was with his mother and friends, he had said to anyone that Royunde shot me. Smith-Hassell said he had not named anyone.

Ms Subair produced an 84 page printout of Smith-Hassell’s Facebook and postings. She asked if a Facebook posting made on 19th June 2011 and saying: “You bitch ni—ers think you got away with it…. “ had been made by him. He agreed that it had.

Ms Subair questioned another posting, made 12 May 2011 and saying: “I hate guys who go on like they are hard when you see them with their boys, that’s why I like to roll alone – no witnesses.” Smith- Hassell denied making or posting the final clause.

Ending her cross-examination, Ms Subair put it to Smith-Hassell that he was following the gang concept that said: “If I can’t get you, I will get one of you and you are now doing this to Royunde.” Smith- Hassell denied this.

The DPP Prosecutor asked Smith-Hassell how many Facebooks friends he had. He replied 749. Asked if he knew them all, he said no; that he only knew about 59 of them.

Royunde Stevens Cyrus denies the charges, and the trial continues….

#CrimeInBermuda #Facebook #MagistratesAndSupremeCourt #RoyundeCyrusStevens #Shootings

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