Suspect: ‘I didn’t kill nobody’

ONE of the five men on trial for the murder of businessman Dr Eddie Koury, in an interview with police, proclaimed his innocence and denied playing any part in the killing.

Jerome Murray, of Scarborough, Tobago, was arrested at a house in D’Abadie on September 21, 2005, and again in Tobago on October 7, 2005.

After his second arrest, Murray was brought to Trinidad and eventually taken to the Arouca police station, where he was interviewed by now-retired ACP Nadir Khan, while ACP Stephen Ramsubhag, who died earlier this month, recorded it.

Also present at the interview, which began at 6.20 pm that day, and ended five hours later at 11.05 pm, was now-retired Senior Supt Johnny Abraham.

During Abraham’s testimony yesterday he read out the interview with Murray.

Murray did not sign what was recorded by Ramsubhag, but all three policemen did.

During the interview, Murray was asked a series of questions about his jobs, where he went to school, his mentor –who was Dwight Yorke, because he too went to Signal Hill Comprehensive – his trip to England, where he said he enrolled in a university, and at what mosque he prayed. He was also asked about his return to Tobago and his trip to Trinidad, days before he was arrested by police at the house in D’Abadie.

Murray said he was in Trinidad for two days, and during the interview asked Khan if he was implicating himself.

He then allegedly began telling the policeman about a gun being found and his not knowing about it.

According to the interview notes, Khan told Murray he never asked him about a gun, but Murray continued that he wasn’t there when “the man get kill.”

Khan: “I never ask you about a man getting killed.”

Murray: “Mr Khan, you see what happening here now?”

Khan: “I never tell you you kill anybody.”

During the interview Murray was asked if he knew Eddie Koury. He said no, nor did he know where he lived, and again repeated that he was not there when Koury was killed. He said he read about it in the newspapers.

“I am a suspect in this. I just want to go home to my family.”

He allegedly told of spending the night at the house in D’Abadie with three other men and said the next morning police came and “hold everyone,” searched the house, found a gun and took pairs of shoes.

According to what Abraham read out, Murray again insisted he did not kill anyone, saying, “Mr Khan, let me tell you again. I didn’t kill nobody.”

Khan asked him if police showed him his shoes with blood on them.

“I eh know about that blood,” Murray allegedly replied, and went on to mention randomly that a government minister had married his sister.

He was again asked about his shoes and the clothes he wore that night and said somebody must have borrowed his shoes and put blood on them.

Murray insisted the blood was not Koury’s. “I wasn’t there. I eh kill nobody. I am innocent of any killing and cutting off anybody head,” he allegedly said in the interview.

Before the interview ended, Murray was asked if he would be willing to give a blood sample and said he would think about it.

When Abraham finished reading out the interview notes, senior prosecutor Nigel Pilgrim indicated to the judge those were all the questions he had for Abraham.

When the trial resumes on Monday, attorney Daniel Khan, who represents Shawn James – who allegedly gave a confession statement admitting to taking part in the killing, beheading Koury and dumping his body – will begin his cross-examination of the retired policeman.

Koury, the managing director of ISKO Enterprises Ltd, an import and distribution company based in the Macoya industrial estate, was abducted from his office on September 21, 2005. Two days later, his headless corpse was found in central Trinidad. His head has never been found.

According to James’ statement, he threw Koury’s head out at sea at Mosquito Creek, south Trinidad.

James, Caleb Donaldson, Murray, Terry Moore and Robert Franklyn are on trial before Justice Malcolm Holdip Port of Spain First Criminal Court at the Hall of Justice in Port of Spain.