A DOCTOR disclosed at the murder trial of policewoman Viris Christie that in 1998 he met her Nigerian husband at the apartment of the woman Christie is accused of murdering.
Woman Constable Christie is charged with the murder of 25-year-old Natasha Stephens also called Lisa, cosmetologist, of Hopedale Avenue, St. Andrew. Stephen's body with bullet wounds was found under the Portmore Causeway on the morning of 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 the body came from Christie's gun and jealousy was the motive for the murder.
DNA TESTS
Dr. Fitzroy Mallett who is also a Captain in the National Reserve of the Jamaica Defence Force testified last week Thursday in the Home Circuit Court that he met Stephens in St. Thomas in 1995 and had an intimate relationship with her for about 18 months. He said Stephens had a child and at the time he thought the child was his. He said DNA tests proved that he was not the child's father. He said although the relationship ended, they remained friends. He said he met most of Stephen's friends.
In 1998, he said he met Stephen's boyfriend "Confi-dence", a Nigerian at her apartment. Dr. Mallett said he went to the morgue on September 22, 1999 and identified Stephen's body to the police. The body was clad in night wear.
Cross-examined by attorney-at-law Valerie Neita-Robertson, he said that he broke up with the deceased because of her relationship with another man.
ASSISTED HER WITH RENT
After Stephen's child was born he said he maintained the child, assisted her with rent and other expenses and visited her from time to time at her Hopedale Avenue apartment. He said he made a claim to get custody of the child but one Anthony Jones came to court and claimed the child was his. DNA tests were done and they were informed in court that neither of them was the father of the child. He said he was not aware that Jones was deported from the USA to Jamaica. On being asked if Jones maintained the child, he said he did not know.
Questioned as to whether he had met Bruce, the witness replied "Bruce was Mayor of St. Thomas everybody knows him." Questioned as to whether Bruce maintained Stephen's child, the witness said he did not know. Questioned as to whether he knew one Kevin Mitchell, he said no.
On being asked if the man over whom he broke up with Stephens was any of the men he was questioned about in court, he said no. He described Jones as being short tempered and disclosed that he had seen black and blue bruises on Stephens.
Re-examined by Miss Llewe-llyn, the witness said that he never met Jones until the day of the court hearing. He said he knew of the sources of the bruises based on what Stephens had told him.
Detective Corporal Carlton Urquhart said about 7.45 p.m. on September 21, 1999 he went to an apartment at 65 Paddington Terrace based on a report he received. He saw Constable Delroy Woodstock at 66 Paddington Terrace and when he went over he saw Woman Constable Christie suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. She was rushed to the University Hospital. He said Constable Woodstock handed him a 9 mm Browining pistol which he took to the Forensic Laboratory the next day.
GOING TO DIE
Constable Woodstock said when he went to the scene he saw a man standing over Christie telling her she was not going to die. He said he saw a firearm beside Woman Constable Christie and he took it up and handed it over to senior officers who came on the scene.
Detective Inspector Barrington Campbell testified yesterday that Christie was attached to his division and he issued her with a 9mm pistol with nine rounds of ammunition. He said she did not report to him at anytime that her firearm was lost, mislaid or that she had discharged any ammunition from it or submitted any written report to that effect.
The hearing continues today before Miss Justice Kay Beckford and the jury.
