BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE juvenile, who was on trial for the murder of 28-year-old Jermaine Browne, was yesterday (Mar. 4) convicted after he was unanimously found guilty by a 12-member jury.
The juvenile, 17-year-old Raheem Crossley of Fort Thomas Road, Mc Knight, was charged with the murder of the 28-year-old construction worker of Conaree, who was killed execution-style at East Park Range on the morning of April 19, 2012.
Eight witnesses testified on behalf of the prosecution; two of whom said they saw the juvenile moving away from the crime scene on the day of the incident.
One said that he clearly saw Crossley’s face and that he had a gun in his right hand while running away.
After the prosecution rested its case, Crossley took the stand in an effort to maintain his innocence, and told the court that he was nowhere near the scene of the crime on that morning.
"I did not shoot Jermaine Browne," he declared.
Represented by Attorney-at-Law Chesley Hamilton, Crossley was unsuccessful in swaying the jury in his direction and, following a Locus in quo (visit to crime scene by Court), final addresses by counsel on both sides and the judge’s summation, they brought back a guilty verdict yesterday afternoon.
Now convicted, the juvenile faces a possibility of life behind bars.
He is expected to be sentenced in two weeks following the completion of a Social Inquiry Report.
