By Yolande Gyles, Staff Reporter
THREE OF the seven youths killed in Braeton, St. Catherine last year March were implicated in the March 13, 2001, murder of Hartlands All-Age school's principal Keith Morris, by a policeman who testified at the Coroner's Inquest into the youths' deaths yesterday.
During evidence-in-chief led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Herbie McKenzie, Detective Constable Marlon Brandon of the Portmore Criminal Investigation Branch testified that on the morning of March 14, 2001 he was instructed by DSP Cornwall Forde to escort two witnesses to the Spanish Town Hospital. At the hospital he spoke to the doctor in charge and told him that a man and a woman who were victims of a robbery the night before were with him. They were there to view the bodies of some men who were pronounced dead earlier that morning.
Mr. Brandon said that he was taken to the emergency section of the hospital where he saw two trolleys with bodies covered by sheets on them. He said that he took the woman in to view the bodies first and she identified the three men who robbed her the night before.
Mr. Brandon said that when he lifted the sheet of the first set of bodies, the woman covered her mouth and indicated that the first one was among the attackers. The detective constable said that when he asked whether she was positive she said yes. She said the attacker was wearing a pair of black short pants. When he removed the sheet from the dead man's body he was dressed in a pair of black short pants.
The officer said that before removing the sheet from the second set of bodies he asked her if there were any other distinguishing markings or clothing on the others that she could recall. He said that she told him that "the brown one that had the gun was wearing a gold chain". Mr. Brandon said that he removed the sheet from the second set of bodies, and the third man on the trolley wore a gold chain. He said that the final man she pointed out as being the one who jumped over the counter and grabbed the cigarettes and Guinness.
After the woman made her identifications, the male witness was brought in and he pointed to the same three men as being the ones who had robbed him the night before.
Mr. Brandon said that he later learned the names of the three men the following day during conversations with DSP Forde. They were Andre Virgo, Christopher Grant and Ronald Beckford.
He said that he was not involved in the investigation of the robbery murder and that the two witnesses were the only ones that he took to the hospital to identify the bodies of the youths.
The Braeton Inquest will continue tomorrow at the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate's court.
