BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AFTER hours of deliberation a 12-member jury, yesterday (Dec. 5) unanimously found Alpha Duporte guilty of the murder of Dexter ‘Asbal’ Marsham and guilty of two counts of attempted murder of Royden Gumbs and Jessica Gumbs.
According to the prosecution, on July 18, 2009, Alpha Duporte did murder Dexter Marsham in Godwin Ghaut in the vicinity of his home.
Originally Curtlee ‘2Pac’ Rogers and Duporte were jointly charged, however, the case was dropped against Rogers by the prosecution due to insufficient evidence.
The case began last Monday, Nov. 28 at the Basseterre High Court, before His Lordship Justice Errol Thomas. The lead prosecutor in the matter was Crown Counsel Rhonda Nisbett-Browne while Duporte was represented by Senior Counsels Dr. Henry Browne and Hesketh Benjamin.
The prosecution called a total of 14 witnesses while the defence decided to say nothing and called no witnesses after the prosecution closed its case.
The prosecution’s witnesses identified Duporte at the scene of the crime and one witness said they saw Duporte standing over Marsham shooting him while he was on the ground.
Jessica Gumbs who said she had just returned home when she heard a commotion up the hill said she saw Duporte whom she had known since he was a baby standing over Marsham shooting him.
She was shot in the leg during the ordeal and so was her son Royden Gumbs.
“No one or nothing was blocking her view; he was not masked; she saw his face. Her evidence strongly supports the fact that Alpha committed the crime,” said Prosecutor Nisbett-Browne.
Royden Gumbs said that he was coming out of a shop on the day of the murder, and saw “Alpha and his people them”.
He said they began throwing stones at him and he went down the hill backwards to avoid being hit.
Another witness, Kyam Veira said he saw someone who appeared to be Duporte behind a Tamrind Tree shooting and that he was dressed in a white jersey.
Sister of Dexter Marsham, Jacintha Marsham who is also the mother of Duporte’s son, said that on July 18, 2009, Duporte came to pick up her son and was wearing a white jersey, a black tam, black shoes and black or brown pants.
The evidence from Barbadian Pathologist Dr. Stephen Jones who performed the post mortem on the late Marsham said that he had five gunshot wounds and he recovered two bullets from his body.
Defense Counsel Dr. Browne asked several questions before ending his closing arguments concerning the case.
He asked why only two bullets were found in Marsham’s body if he had five gunshot wounds, where were the casings for the bullets by the Tamarind tree from where the witnesses said Duporte was shooting, and he questioned if it was truly only one gun.
