Another attorney hits evidence

Another defence attorney has discredited the prosecution’s evidence against his client, who is charged with four other men with the murder of businessman Dr Eddie Koury in 2005.

Defence attorney Evans Welch, who represents Jerome Murray, yesterday began his closing address to the jury by discrediting the evidence against his client.

On trial in the Port of Spain High Court are Shawn James, Caleb Donaldson, Jerome Murray, Terry Moore and Robert Franklyn

Welch focused on a critical piece of evidence of the prosecution: Koury’s blood, allegedly found on Murray’s shoe, and a gun found at a house at Reuben Drive, D’Abadie, where Murray and two other men were arrested.

He accused the police of fabricating evidence, singling out retired fingerprint expert Judy Badal and ASP Remy. It was alleged that Murray identified a pair of shoes found at the house as his. “They want you believe he said the shoe was his,” Welch told the jury as he urged them to look for specifics in the evidence.

He said the vagueness of the police in their testimony was to cover inconsistencies in their evidence. “Can you link the accused to the shoe?” Welch asked.

He said Murray, in his statement to police, said he never identified his shoe to them, while the police officers testified that the shoe was taken to Murray to identify. The attorney also likened Remy to “Remy in Wonderland,” a play on the Lewis Carroll classic novel, saying the officer “knew nothing” when questioned under cross-examination.

He also insisted Remy, who led the raid on the Reuben Drive house, was tryiing to cover up the police use of force. “You talking about the abduction of a one per cent.” He accused the police of being desperate, and told the jury they got zero evidence from Badal and zero evidence from Remy.

Koury, the managing director of ISKO Enterprises Ltd, an import and distribution company based at the Macoya industrial estate, was abducted from his office on September 21, 2005.