By Barbara Gayle, Staff ReporterTHE PROSECUTION yesterday tendered in evidence the service revolver that was assigned to policewoman Viris Christie, who is on trial since Monday for the murder of Natasha Stephens, a 25-year-old cosmetologist.
It is being alleged that Stephens was having a love affair with Christie's Nigerian husband. The Crown is alleging that jealousy was the motive for the murder.
Stephen's body, with several gunshot wounds, was found under the Portmore Causeway near Marcus Garvey Drive, Kingston 11 at about 6.30 a.m. on September 21, 1999.
The Crown, represented by Paula Llewellyn, Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions and Simone Wolfe, Crown Counsel, is alleging that the spent shells found near Stephens' body came from the 9mm pistol which was assigned to Christie.
Detective Sergeant Kermitt Fairweather testified yesterday before the jury and Justice Kay Beckford that about 7:00 a.m. that day he received a radio transmission from police radio control and went with other policemen to the Causeway.
On arrival, he saw the body of a female lying face down in a pool of blood under the bridge. The body was clad in a merino and a pair of panties. The body had gunshot wounds, and five spent shells were recovered at the scene.
He saw a bullet protruding in the region of the throat and he took out the bullet and placed it in an envelope. He said the body was identified the next day by Dr. Fitzroy Mallett as that of Natasha Stephens.
He said after the post-mortem report, he received instructions from the doctor and on October 1, 1999 he returned to the Causeway where he found two more spent shells.
Under cross-examination, attorney-at-law Valerie Neita-Robertson suggested to Detective Sergeant Fairweather that he was in the habit of lying.
DESCEND TO THE GUTTER
Miss Llewellyn objected to the suggestion, saying that Mrs. Neita Robertson should not "descend to the gutter."
Cross-examined further, Detective Sergeant Fairweather said he had said at the preliminary inquiry that he "caused" the spent shells to be labelled. On being shown his deposition, he admitted that it was written in the deposition taken at the preliminary inquiry that he had labelled the envelopes, put the spent shells in them and sealed the envelopes.
It was pointed out to him that he had said in his evidence yesterday that he labelled the exhibits, but changed his testimony to say he instructed Constable Ricky Bailey to label them.
Asked which was the truth, he said that Constable Bailey labelled the envelopes under his instruction.
Detective Sergeant Alvin Bent said that in August 1999 he issued a 9mm pistol and nine rounds of ammunition to Christie. He identified the pistol in court and it was tendered in evidence along with the register in which the notation was made.
The trial continues today in the Home Circuit Court.
