The murder trial of ex-convict Kerry Cromwell, who is accused of the March 2016 murder of a Linden bus driver who was shot and killed at the Linden bus park, commenced this morning before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-person jury at the High Court in Georgetown.
Cromwell is accused of the March 21, 2016 murder of 53-year-old bus driver Alvin Lorrimer of Carter Street, Kara Kara, Linden.
Upon his arraignment this morning, Cromwell pleaded not guilty to a murder indictment presented by State Prosecutors Abigail Gibbs, Tuanna Hardy, and Teriq Mohamed. The murder accused is being represented by attorney-at-law Stanley Moore.
Among those who testified on behalf of the prosecution was Judah Lorrimer, the son of the murdered man.
Judah told the court that his father left home for work on the morning on March 21, 2016. He explained that his father was the driver of minibus BSS 5739, which he also owned and would use to ply the route of Georgetown to Linden. He added that later that said day, he received a call from his father who told him something.
Judah said that he then received another call and, as a result of what he was told, he and other family members rushed down to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) where they were told that his father was in surgery. He added that, on March 24, 2016, he visited the GPHC mortuary where he identified his father’s corpse to a police rank.
Also testifying was Police Constable Richard Rodney who was stationed at the Brickdam Police Station during March 2016.
Rodney told the court that on March 24, 2016 at around 08:30 AM, he visited the GPHC mortuary where Alvin Lorrimer’s relatives identified his body to him. The police rank added that he then witnessed a postmortem being conducted on the man’s remains by Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh. The cause of death, he said, was given as multiple gunshot wounds.
Meanwhile, Police Constable Kevis Thomas, who is stationed at the Crime Laboratory at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown also testified.
Constable Thomas said that, on the evening of March 21, 2016, he was performing duties when a request was made for a police photographer to visit a murder scene at Hadfield Street, Georgetown.
As a result of the request, the witness said that he equipped himself with a digital camera and went to the location where he took several photographs of suspected bloodstains, the body of the deceased, as well as a minibus. The police rank provided the jury with a description of the 21 coloured photographs which were later tendered, admitted, and marked as evidence in the trial.
This trial is expected to continue throughout this week. The State has 14 witnesses to call.
According to reports, Cromwell was one of the prisoners who broke out of the Lusignan Prison in July 2017. Before then, he was charged for possession of narcotics and was sentenced to serve community service. He was also slapped with several armed robbery charges.
