Day two of murder trial
Soldier charged with murder and wounding with intent

By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE second day of the murder trial of Defence Force Private Louis Richards concluded yesterday (Oct 7) with 11 prosecution witnesses having given evidence and has left the jury with much food for thought.

Eight individuals were called to the witness stand yesterday to give their account of the August 3, 2007 incident that left one man dead and two others injured.

The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) is seeking to prove that on that night, Richards shot and killed 49-year-old Clyde Williams of Old Road and shot and injured Adrien ‘Ado’ Searles and Jevon Woodley also of Old Road.

Evidence heard in the case on Monday (Oct. 6) indicated that Richards and others were at the 2Pac Bar in Old Road when shots rang out and he was shot in his buttocks. 

Richards, having emerged from the place at which he hid himself, began brandishing his firearm and proceeded to shoot Searles and Williams. Williams was struck in the stomach while Searles was hit on his left hand.

The prosecution is also hoping to prove that sometime after, but during the same night, Richards shot at and injured Woodley.

Searles took the stand yesterday and explained that he was on his way to “grab a bite” when he became of victim of the unfolding incident.  

~~Adz:Right~~“I saw (individuals) on the ground trying to get up. So I stopped and asked them something. I didn’t get an answer. Then I saw Louis jump from behind the entrance of the bar. He jumped out and said ‘move, move somebody gun get it’. I realised he had his gun pointing at me. It was a black handgun. I tried to get out of the way but there was a jeep between the road and me and him.

“Then while trying to go around the jeep, I bumped into someone. I don’t know who that person was…I heard the gun go off and that’s when I received the shot in my hand. The accused was about 10 to 11 feet from me when the gun went off,” Searles told the court.

Searles further explained that after he got shot he began running with the intention of going to the Old Road Police Station, but after realising that the accused had set chase after him, he hid behind a vehicle where he met someone and spoke to them. As a result of the conversation, Searles said, the individual removed a handkerchief from his pocket and used it to tie his arm, which was “bleeding badly”.

Searles said he peered from behind the vehicle and saw the accused had returned to the direction from whence he came and he took that opportunity to run to the Police Station and make “a complaint”. Having done so, Searles added, he went back down the road where he was picked up by one Laurinston Matthew who took him to the Joseph N. France General Hospital.

Under cross examination, Searles denied that he had a firearm and shot at Richards that evening. He also denied that he conspired with Jevon Woodley to injure Richards, as well as denying to having a firearm in his possession on that night and running down to the bay to hide after he was shot.

Nephew of the deceased, Dion ‘Super D’ Taylor, also took the stand and gave his account of what happened on that fateful evening.

Taylor said he was at the 2Pac Bar with others when he heard the sound of three gunshots, two seconds apart. He told the court that persons who were there at the time scattered in fear after the shots rang out.

“The accused shouted and said he know who shoot him and he ain’t gun tek it. He was about two feet away from me. He was carrying a gun. He was pointing the gun up and down. It was a 45. 

“I know Ado. I saw him that night. He was shot. I saw the accused do it. He was shot in his hand. I found out that my uncle had been shot too…I heard my uncle say, ‘Louis is me you shoot.  Louis is me you shoot.’ I ran to my uncle and grabbed him. I stayed with my uncle and dialed 911.”

Taylor further explained that he left his uncle in the care of someone and journeyed to another of his relatives. The witness said he next saw his uncle at the Joseph N. France General Hospital.

On Monday, while under oath, Gregory Flemming told the court that he saw the accused shoot Searles and Williams after which he endeavoured to calm him down and also to get the firearm away from him. Flemming also told the court that after the accused was shot in the buttocks, he offered to call assistance for him but he refused, grabbed his [Flemming] phone and flung it over a ghaut.

Taylor, while under cross-examination, said he did not see Flemming attempting to calm the accused down or did he see him make an attempt to get the firearm arm away from him. He also said that he did not see the accused take Flemming’s phone away from him and throw it into the ghaut.

Other witnesses for the day included Glen ‘Ghost’ Phillip, Laurinston Matthew, Roger Hendricks and the mother of Jevon Woodley, Ordyette Woodley.