BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Delvin ‘Jeremiah’ Benjamin murder trial continued yesterday (June 17) at the Basseterre High Court with the fourth witness testifying that the deceased said he was attacked by three men.
Benjamin is accused of murdering 37-year-old Steve ‘Steam Fish’ Pemberton of Ottley’s Village at about 11:25 p.m. on August 23, 2008.
He is being represented by Senior Counsels Dr. Henry Browne and Hesketh Benjamin while Crown Counsel Rhonda Nisbett-Browne is lead prosecutor in the matter.
In the case which began on June 16, the fourth witness said that they had heard a voice calling for help but did not recognise at first. However, on hearing it again they recognised it to be that of the deceased.
“I recognised Steve Pemberton’s voice…the voice came from beneath the window of the lower side of our property,” the witness said.
It was also revealed that the witness’ mother and daughter were awaken by the sounds of gunfire and their mother began asking the deceased a series of questions.
The witness told the court that blood was also seen coming from the lower part of Pemberton’s body just before he told them he had been shot.
The witness said they had called 911 but did not get through and they decided to call the Cayon Police Station and requested that they send an ambulance for Pemberton, who was at that time sweating profusely.
Two police officers arrived at the scene and the witness turned on a light on the outside offered them some them sheets of paper.
The witness said they heard the deceased telling the officers that three of them had attacked him.
The witness told the court they also heard him call a name and it sounded as if he said, “Niah do me this.”
Pemberton was also said to be talking all the time and the witness said they did not understand what he was saying.
The witness said that at the time of the incident, Pemberton was clad in a red turtle neck top, a tan coloured pant and boots.
Dr. Browne questioned the lighting of the area during his cross-examination of the witness and asked if they had turned on the outside lights to see what was happening, to which they answered in the negative.
They also said that the entire area was not dark but admitted that the police used flashlights on their arrival.
The witness said that they observed that bullet marks were made on their verandah and the galvanise fence.
Browne told the witness he was interested in the noises that they thought were connecting to zinc and asked them to describe the shots they heard.
The witness explained that the first and second sets of shots were seconds apart while the third set was closer together like that of a machine gun.
The fifth witness in the matter called to testify was Constable Ray Farrell, who was at the time based at the Cayon Police Station.
Farrell said he received a call at about 11:30 p.m. on the day in question and immediately left the police station for Ottley’s, but while on his way he picked up another officer at Upper Cayon.
The officer said when they arrived on the scene he heard a male voice saying, “Officer see me here”, and they proceeded into a yard.
He said Officer Glasgow shone his light in the direction of the voice and he saw someone wearing a red shirt and brown pants.
Farrel said that Glasgow spoke to the person who identified himself as Steve Pemberton.
The trial will continue on Monday, June 20.
