Three accused in murder case take stand
By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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Jamal Bradshaw
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE three young men accused of committing the September 8, 2006 murder of 16-year-old Josh Smithen, yesterday stood before judge and jury and gave their version of what transpired on the night of the incident.
Smithen was killed at the St. Pauls pasture on the opening night of the 2006 Festival De Capisterre celebration. According to information, Smithen, in addition to other injuries, was stabbed in the head with what was described as an ice pick. He was transported to the Joseph N. France General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Fitzroy Challenger, who, according to the prosecution, chopped Smithen with a clever during the said incident, was first to take the stand and explained in his testimony that on that night he was not in possession of a clever and he did not wound Smithen as accused.
“While at the back of the school, I saw Josh Smithen throw a bottle after Jamal Bradshaw. I rushed over and asked him what Jamal did to him and he did not reply. Josh’s friends started pulling bottles, stones and a baseball bat and started throwing them. I ran…other people ran… Jamal ran.
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Fitzroy Challenger
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I had no weapons while at the back of the school. I wounded no one at the back of the school. I ran to the mountain side with others. I did not go onto the play field. I did not have a chopper. I did not chop Josh. The witnesses fabricated stories on me, I did not wound or do anything to Josh that night.”
The fatal incident is said to have taken place on the St. Pauls’ playfield, but Challenger is contending he was not there on the night in question.
Second accused Jamal Bradshaw, who, according to the Crown, delivered the fatal stab to Smithen, explained under oath that an incident did occur between him and Smithen during which the deceased attempted to attack him with an “ice pick-like object”.
“I was at the back of the school. I saw Josh Smithen that night. I saw him at the side of the school. He and a couple of boys were there cooling out. They were talking to each other.
At the time, I was at the back of the school with Gregory Anthony Zakers. He told me something and I continued walking, and while walking Josh Smithen stood up and started throwing off talks. I did not study him. I continued walking… I had a bottle in my hand he had a bottle in his hand. He was raising his bottle to hit me so I threw mine. I don’t know if it caught him or not.”
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Gregory Anthony Zakers
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Bradshaw said that missiles were then being thrown and he was struck in the head.
“A bottle caught me on the left side of my head. I stumbled….I saw Josh running towards me with a bottle and ice pick-like object. He threw the bottle at me and also swing a stab at me, but he missed. I held on to him and we started wrangling. While wrangling he told me that he must f…… kill me. I grabbed a hold of the handle of the weapon and took it away from him. I let go a stab at him. I felt a lash in my side. I dropped the weapon and ran towards the school gate and left the premises.”
While Bradshaw admitted to swinging the ice pick-like object in Smithen’s direction, he maintained not knowing if the deceased was injured by his action.
“I don’t know if I stabbed Josh because everything happened so fast. I was fearing for my life. Eight other fellows came after me, attacking me. I saw sticks, a baseball bat, all kinds of weapons.”
Number three accused, Gregory Anthony Zakers, was the last to take the stand and told the court that he was not around when the actual stabbing incident took place. ~~Adz:Right~~
“While at the back of the school, Jamal was walking down, Josh stood up and shoved him. People started flinging bottles…Kenya had a bat when he was chasing me. I finally got to the school fence and jumped it. Kenya was still running behind me. I did not go back to the pasture, school or compound that night.”
Zakers also told the court that after leaving the back of the school, he did not see Bradshaw “do anything to Josh”.
Court resumes on Monday at 9:00 a.m.
