BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - IN his testimony on Thursday (July11) at the Basseterre High Court, Officer-in-Charge of the Special Service Unit (SSU), Inspector Adolph Adams identified Randy Taylor and Lennox Gumbs on a video footage that was shown to the 12-member jury sitting on the murder case.
The men are charged with the murder of 19-year-old Trevis Henville, who was shot to death at Upper Shaw Avenue on April 17, 2012.
The video footage was shown following a very lengthy argument by defence counsel Chesley Hamilton and Dr. Henry Browne QC that it should not be shown to the jury.
Adams testified that he has known the accused men for almost all of their lives, and that he and Taylor's father grew up as friends while Gumbs is a family friend.
The Inspector testified that on the day of the incident, he had viewed the video footage in the Local Intelligence Office (LIO) in the presence of Constable Henry and Corporal Jacobs.
The video footage was taken from an office within proximity of the crime.
He said while viewing it, he saw two young men, one dressed in a dark coloured hoodie with a pair of dark three-quarter length jeans, and the other dressed in a blue and white polo shirt and a pair of long blue jeans.
He said he viewed the tape several times and, on each occasion, came to the conclusion that the persons he saw were Taylor and Gumbs.
Adams testified that they were both carrying what appeared to be firearms as they ran from the area of Dr. Jeffers' office to the mountain side of Shaw Avenue.
He testified that he recognised the person in the blue and white polo shirt and long blue jeans to be Taylor, based on the slim build of the body and the way the person walked, as well as the long features, and that he could have seen the person's lips.
The other person in the dark coloured hoodie, he said, appeared to be Gumbs, and that conclusion was based on the stocky build and the way the person walked.
Adams pointed out to the jury the individuals in the video footage and the body parts he saw that identified the accused men.
He told the Court that he usually sees both accused almost every day in a month but sometimes less often than usual.
At cross examination, Hamilton asked Adams how many persons he saw in the video footage with firearms, to which he replied "three".
Adams told the Court that he recognised the third individual and that it was someone he knew since they were a baby.
He also told the Court that he saw the third person's face as well.
Adams was then questioned about a cap the individual whom he identified as Taylor was wearing and whether or not he was able to identify what was written on it.
To that question, Adams answered in the negative and revealed that he could not clearly see specific facial features, including forehead, nose, eyes and teeth.
Adams also stated that although he knows Taylor has several tattoos about his body, he did not recognise any in the video.
He testified that he saw Taylor on the following day (April 18) at his house when he went to take him into custody.
Adams also told the Court that a search was conducted at Taylor's residence but no firearm, blue and white polo shirt or long blue jeans was taken into custody.
The Officer also testified that Taylor was not swabbed for gunshot residue and that while he saw the persons in the footage pointing firearms, he could not see at whom or what they were pointed.
He also told the Court that he did not see anyone shooting Henville on the video.
Adams could not state the last time he saw Taylor prior to him being taken into custody.
Dr. Browne, during his cross examination, asked Adams what part of Gumbs' face he saw on the video footage, and he replied he could not see the face.
"It is quite possible that the person is not Gumbs?" Browne asked, and Adams answered that it was indeed possible.
Adams stated that the person whom he identified as Gumbs was wearing a mask.
"Dr. Browne final question to him was, "You could see behind a mask?" and Adams replied in negative.
The trial is scheduled to continue today (July 15).
