Mother recalls painful memory of son’s bloodstained pants

WESTERN BUREAU:

Mercia Fraser, the mother of Mario Deane, struggled to contain her emotions yesterday as she testified about receiving a pair of bloodstained pants, which she believes belonged to her son.

Fraser, who was the first witness in the trial of Corporal Elaine Stewart and Constables Juliana Clevon and Marlon Grant – three police officers charged in connection with Deane’s 2014 death – returned to the witness stand in the Westmoreland Circuit Court.

She recalled being handed the pants at Cornwall Regional Hospital, where Deane died on August 6, 2014, three days after being brutally beaten while in custody at the Barnett Street Police Station in Montego Bay.

“I know it [the pants] was given to me, and it was folded, but I cannot tell you what package it was in. It was a navy-blue jeans, and I cannot tell you what brand it was, but I know it had blood spots on it in more than one place, and spots were on both sides of the legs,” Fraser told the court.

She went on to describe how the pants reminded her of a visit Deane had made to her house several months before his death.

“He [Deane] came to my house in that pants, and on that particular day, he wore an orange shirt, and it was months before [his death],” explained Fraser. “The pants looked like the exact same pants he wore on that day.”

The distraught mother added, “I was teasing him and I said, ‘What a way you dress nice and come look for me’. And when I hugged him, I said, ‘What a way your cologne smell nice’.”

‘CLOSE MOTHER-SON RELATIONSHIP’

During her testimony, prosecutor Kimberly Williams twice applied to have Fraser shown a pair of pants previously entered into evidence. However, High Court Justice Courtney Daye upheld objections from defence attorney Dalton Reid, who argued that Fraser had not conclusively identified the pants as the same pair Deane had worn.

“The evidence that was led has not created the relevant nexus [connection] for the pants, which were marked as Exhibit A. It only shows a close mother-son relationship,” Justice Daye noted.

Fraser also testified that in March she voluntarily submitted a DNA sample to the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) (INDECOM) crime scene examiner Shaday Vassell at the Hanover Parish Court. The court had earlier heard a statement from Vassell, who confirmed the buccal swab was taken on March 25.

Justice Daye adjourned the trial until April 28, noting that two prosecution witnesses expected to testify on Friday were unavailable. He urged the prosecution to ensure their next witness is prepared to take the stand at the next hearing.

Stewart, Clevon and Grant are charged with manslaughter and misconduct in public office in connection with Deane’s death, which occurred after he was beaten while in custody for possession of a ganja spliff. Stewart also faces a charge of perverting the course of justice, amid allegations she ordered the cell cleaned before INDECOM investigators arrived.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com