BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ONE of the prosecution’s witnesses in the Dexter ‘Asbal’ Marsham murder trial told the court that he saw the second accused in the matter Alpha ‘Raga’ Duporte standing over Marsham.
Marsham, 24 was gunned down near his home in Godwin Ghaut on July 18, 2009. Duporte and Curtlee ‘2Pac’ Rogers who were on the run for some months after the crime, were eventually captured and jointly charged with the murder.
The prosecution team is being led by Rhonda Nisbett-Browne, while both accused are being represented by Senior Counsels Dr. Henry Browne and Hesketh Benjamin.
The trial is underway with several prosecution witnesses giving evidence in the matter including a Godwin Ghaut resident who said that when they arrived home that day, they heard a commotion and went to see what happened.
The witness said they heard gunshots coming from up the hill and he saw Duporte firing shots and that he was not masked.
It was also revealed by the witness that Duporte stood over Marsham who was on the ground with what appeared to be a gun in his hand.
The witness said that they heard a total of 10 gunshots and that’ the witness’, too, was shot in the leg.
During the cross-examination Browne told the witness that he did not know who had shot them that day and that they did not see Duporte that day.
The witness once again stated that they saw Duporte whom they had known since he was a child standing over Marsham with a gun.
In his testimony, Barbados based Forensic Pathologist, Dr. Stephen Jones who performed the autopsy on Marsham’s body on July 21, 2009 said that death was due to a gunshot wound to the head even though there were other life threatening injuries.
He told the court that one bullet was removed from his right cheek and another from his right thigh. Marsham had a total of five gunshot wounds.
Royden Gumbs also of Godwin Ghaut told the court that he was also shot during the incident.
He told the court before the incident occurred he was on his way to a shop and when he came out of the shop which is on a hill he saw both accused and “their people” coming up the road.
He said they told him he did not belong there and they started throwing stones at him. They also had machetes and sticks in their hand.
Gumbs said he had to walk down the hill backwards to avoid being hit by the stones and during that time Marsham came out his yard and said something to him.
The witness said that Marsham was trying to speak to Duporte but was unable to.
Gumbs said that Marsham fell to the ground and that Duporte was shooting at him and that Rogers said to Marsham, “Let me show you who the bad man be”.
During cross-examination Browne told Gumbs that he never said who had shot him to anyone and Gumbs said he had told the police.
Gumbs said that although he and Duporte were not on good terms for about a year, he had no issue with him.
Sister of the deceased Jacintha Marsham and also Duporte’s former girlfriend and mother of his son also gave evidence.
She told the court on the day of the incident, Duporte came for his son and after he left she fell asleep.
She said when she woke up she heard her grandmother screaming and they both went up the hill.
Marsham said that she saw her brother Ricaldo with Dexter and decided to go and look for her son.
The young lady told the court she then saw Rogers and some other guys running across the lane “with something in their hand and thought it was her son” and she ran behind them but they outran her.
The case continues today with more testimonies from the prosecution’s witnesses.
