Barbara Gayle, Staff ReporterCONSULTANT FORENSIC pathologist Dr. Ere Seshaiah has testified that the bodies of some of the men who were shot and killed in a house in Braeton on March 14, 2001, had cuts and bruises.
Cross-examined by attorney-at-law Valerie Neita-Robertson, the doctor said that those injuries were not caused by the butt of a gun. He said they were not caused by the men being punched or beaten with a blunt instrument.
He said some of those injuries could have been caused by the men falling to the floor, as well as the impact of the bullets.
The doctor was testifying yesterday at the trial of the six policemen charged with the murder of seven young men in a house in Braeton, St. Catherine on March 14, 2001.
Last week Friday, the doctor gave his findings in respect of six of the deceased. He said the six bodies all had gunshot wounds to the head and death was due to multiple gunshot injuries. He said there were gunshot injuries to other parts of the bodies. They died as a result of multiple gunshot injuries, the doctor said.
Yesterday, the doctor said that Regan Beckford, the seventh deceased, had 12 gunshot wounds, two of which were to the back of the neck. He said Beckford also died from multiple gunshot injuries.
NO GUNPOWDER MARKS
The doctor said under cross-examination that the injuries on the seven bodies were all "distant" shots because there were no gunpowder marks on the wounds. The doctor said, by "distant", he meant that the deceased were more than two feet away from the muzzle of the gun. He said under cross-examination that "distant" could be even 10 feet away. Special Constable Horace Hamilton said he identified the body of Andre Virgo who was his brother. He admitted under cross-examination that on several occasions he did speak to Virgo about keeping bad company.
Cross-examined by attorney-at-law Oswest Senior Smith, he said Virgo spent eight months in custody in connection with an illegal firearm. Asked if he were aware that Virgo, also called 'Gallos', was being investigated for demanding protection money, the constable said he was not aware of that.
Detective Sergeant Denham Edward, attached to the Bureau of Special Investigations, testified that on March 19, 2001 and on other dates, he collected firearms, including M-16 rifles, from the now-disbanded Crime Management Unit and the Special Anti-Crime Task Force. He said he made notes of the guns collected.
Justice Donald McIntosh ordered yesterday that the notes should be photocopied and given to defence lawyers.
The trial of the six policemen charged with the murder of the seven young men continues today in the Home Circuit Court.
