BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – “I am not mistaken about who I saw shoot Abaloo that day. It was Wycliffe Liburd.”
These were the words of one of the prosecution’s key witnesses in the ongoing case of murder brought against Liburd, according to which, he, on the morning of April 18, 2008, drew a gun and shot and killed Charles ‘Abaloo’ Matthew at Lower Shaw Avenue.
The witness explained to the court that she, at the time of the incident, resided at Lower Shaw Avenue and was in her bedroom when commotion on the outside caught her attention.
“I heard what appeared to be persons arguing from the outside. I left my bedroom, opened the door and started to peep outside from on my (veranda)…I saw Wycliffe and Abaloo in the middle of the road opposite a water pipe (located on the eastern side of the road). My house is on the right (side of the road) coming down. The water pipe is about 25-30 feet from my house.
“I heard Wycliffe saying to Abaloo, ‘Nigger, where is my f%$&ing money nigger?’ Abaloo replied, ‘Boy me ain’t got nothing now boy’. They were standing in the middle of the road by the water pipe. Wycliffe was standing in a southern direction while Abaloo was in a northern. They were standing close to each other.”
The witness further revealed to the court that Liburd held on to Matthew’s shirt and was “tugging and twisting him. He grumbled something; I didn’t hear what it was.
“I then saw Wycliffe place his hand in the right pocket of the sweater and then he pulled out what appeared to be a 9mm pistol and I heard what appeared to be three gunshots fired. I then saw Abaloo stagger and run down the road holding his abdomen and mourning.”
She said it was then that she made several attempts to contact “911” but they were all unsuccessful as “no one was answering the line”.
The ordeal did not end there, she said. She explained that she saw the accused set chase after the deceased and, when he caught up with him, he continued his assault on him.
“I then saw Wycliffe run behind Abaloo in a southern direction, then he caught up with him…and started holding Abaloo in a head lock. I then went back to my phone and called Constable Dexter of the Drug Squad Unit and I informed him of what was taking place. I went further down on my veranda and I started peeping again, then I heard about seven, what appeared to be gunshots, fired again. It would have been Wycliffe firing the shots. Wycliffe was further down Lower Shaw Avenue in the middle of the road and Abaloo was in front of him.
“Wycliffe let go of Abaloo and he dropped in the road. I saw Wycliffe coming back up the road putting on his hoodie over his head. He headed through the alley facing my gate onto Thibou Avenue.”
She told the court that she “peeped” again to make sure the accused had left the area and, after she was satisfied that he had, she went to Matthew’s aid.
“I went down the road to attend to Abaloo. I was checking for his pulse and I rendered CPR. He was goggling for his breath. Then he looked up to me and said, ‘Thank you’. He was referring to me. …I observed that he had what appeared to be gunshot wounds to his abdomen. I was able to see them because I pulled up his shirt. After that, a nurse…in the area came and assisted me. She was also checking his pulse and realised there wasn’t any. Shortly after, members of the Drug Unit came.”
She explained that during the incident, particularly while both men were running down the road, there was “a little boy coming down the road” and after they spoke, “he came on my veranda”.
The witness said she saw nothing in Matthew’s hands while he was being attacked by the accused.
During cross examination, Liburd’s defence counsel, Warner, suggested to the witness that she did not see the shooting as she claimed; a charge which she denied.
Other witnesses giving evidence yesterday include the deceased’s mother, Mary Matthew, and his aunt, Joycelyn Matthew.
The case is set to continue on Monday, July 6, 2009.
1.jpg)