Court: Prince Edness Murder Trial Underway
The trial of two men accused of murdering Prince Edness is underway in the Supreme Court, with 20-year-old Jaqui Pearman-Desilva and 22-year-old Joshua Usher both denying the charges.
On December 7th 2014, police responded to a shooting that took place in Southampton, which saw 29-year-old Prince Edness fatally shot, and the suspect[s] fire at a police officer who was chasing them.
Police statement on the night of the shooting in 2014:
The pair deny charges including unlawfully killing Prince Edness, using a firearm to commit the offense and possessing a prohibited weapon and ammunition.
The prosecution team is lead by Deputy Director of Prosecutions Cindy Clarke and includes Maria Sofianos and Kenlyn Swan, and Mr Pearman-Desilva is represented by Marc Daniels and Mr Usher by Charles Richardson and Craig Attridge.
The prosecution told the jury that in the evening of December 7th, 2014, Mr Edness — who admitted during a previous trial that he was a gang member — had an exchange with a group of people in the parking lot of the Southampton establishment before walking to a nearby residence.
Two people on a bike followed Mr. Edness, then a number of gun shots rang out. The two men then sped off, and police officers responded to a report of a bike fitting the description of the vehicle.
The prosecution said the police chased the suspects who turned into a private driveway in Southampton where one of them allegedly fired at a police vehicle, before the duo ran off.
The jury also heard that one of the suspects was arrested after he attempted to escape by jumping off a cliff into the water on North Shore in Hamilton parish.
Recounting the events of that evening, a former resident of the property where Mr Edness body was recovered told the jury he was having a drink outside when he saw a man approach, explaining that it is not unusual for people to use his yard as a short cut as it leads to a nearby bus stop.
He asked the man – who turned out to be Mr. Edness – if he was looking for someone and the man replied that he was meeting someone. A few minutes later, he recalled a motorbike exiting a nearby parking lot and Mr. Edness shouting out to the riders.
The witness recalled seeing flashes coming from what he assumed to be a gun fired by the pillion passenger on the bike and Mr. Edness falling.
The witness told the jury he asked Mr. Edness if he was okay and Mr. Edness tried to speak, and he called the police who arrived 10 minutes later.
He said a number of people on arrived on bikes and also mentioned that some people took photos of Mr Edness’ body.
Both defendants deny the charges and the trial continues.
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