Murder trial adjourned until next week

The 12-member jury in the trial of murder-accused Jason Cecil Spencer will return to the No. 2 Supreme Court on March 25.

This was the adjournment date given after one civilian witness gave evidence in the trial on Wednesday.

Spencer is accused of killing Charles Ellis on May 27, 2015. Ellis, formerly of 10th Avenue, New Orleans, St Michael, was shot while at Nelson Street, St Michael, on May 5, 2015 and passed away three weeks later.

Kemal Straker testified in the court on Wednesday that he was in the Nelson Street and Ashby Alley area and had seen Spencer, known to him as ‘Punkie’, and a man named Charles separately, before the incident.

In his statement to the police, the witness recalled that he went to get something to eat and when he went back outside, he heard a man groaning on Nelson Street. He walked to the end of the alley and asked what had happened but no one answered.

Straker left the area and soon heard that someone had been shot. He then saw ‘Punkie’ and a few people walking up through the alley. ‘Punkie’ approached him and told him he was leaving and said a taxi was coming for him. Straker boarded the taxi with ‘Punkie’ and another man and was the first to be dropped off.

He told the police that he had not seen who shot the man and only realised it was Charles who had been shot weeks after the incident.

Spencer is represented by Senior Counsel Andrew Pilgrim and defence attorney Summer Hassell, while Principal State Counsel Oliver Thomas is prosecuting the matter.

Justice Randall Worrell is presiding.