Brother: Koury visited Colombia before murder

SOMETIME before he was abducted and killed, Dr Eddie Koury travelled to Colombia, his brother testified yesterday.

Curtis Koury, the first member of the slain businessman’s family to testify at the trial of the five men accused of his murder, admitted that before the abduction and murder, he knew his brother went to Colombia for business.

Koury said his brother also went to other countries.

Asked by accused Terry Moore’s attorney, Mario Merritt, if he knew why his brother went to Colombia, Koury said, “I think he went there to look for business.”

Merritt has replaced Moore’s first attorney Fareed Ali at the trial.

Asked by Merritt if he was close to his brother, Koury said he would like to think so.

He admitted he did not know if his brother’s business was doing well or not, since they did not always discuss it when they met for their regular Sunday lunch at their parents’ home.

“I’d like to think his business was doing well,” Koury said.

Koury’s headless body was found on September 23, 2005, at Bolivar Trace, Palmiste, Longdenville, two days after he was abducted from his businessplace at ISKO Enterprises Ltd, an import and distribution company based in the Macoya industrial estate.

Koury said his brother’s company distributed household cleaning products and while he did not frequent ISKO’s offices, he visited on occasion and was familiar with the layout.

Koury said he last saw his brother on September 18, 2005, at their parents’ home.

On September 21, he went to ISKO’s offices at about 8 am after receiving certain information, and then to their parents’ home.

On September 24, he went to the Chaguanas police station, where he identified his brother’s decapitated body. He said he recognised him because of his complexion, build and clothing – a T-shirt, blue plaid shirt and black pants and shoes – which he had seen his brother wearing before.

Later that day, he and their younger brother went to the Forensic Science Centre in St James, where he identified Koury’s decapitated body.

He said he also met then Insp Stephen Ramsubhag and gave the policeman his brother’s US resident alien card (green card). When he was shown the green card for him to identify it, Merritt and attorney Wayne Sturge, who represents Robert Franklyn, objected to its being shown to Koury.

There was also an objection by attorney Daniel Khan, attorney for accused Shawn James, who has allegedly confessed to cutting off Koury’s head, on the ground of relevance.

At this point Koury and the jury were asked to leave the courtroom so that the objections could be argued in their absence. With the arguments concluded and Justice Malcolm Holdip giving his ruling, the proceedings resumed, with the green card being tendered into evidence and later shown to the jury.

Koury also said he attended one autopsy for his brother, and Merritt asked if there were signs that a previous autopsy had been performed. Koury said he would not know, since it was the first time he had witnessed an autopsy, and according to Merritt his understanding was that two autopsies were done.

Koury was then asked if he was there when his brother’s chest cavity was cut open, leading to some discussion between the defence, prosecution and the judge.

Merritt rephrased his question, asking if the chest cavity was already cut open and Koury said no.

Koury was also asked if he knew Summer Pablo, and he said he believed she worked with his brother and would have spoken to her whenever he visited ISKO.

Pablo, who was expected to testify yesterday, will now do so on Monday, after the day’s proceedings came to an abrupt end when the judge told jurors that the police had decided to feed the accused men during what was supposed to be a 15-minute break.

The trial continues tomorrow.

On trial at the Port of Spain High Court are James, Caleb Donaldson, Jerome Murray, Moore and Franklyn.