Trial continues for man accused of killing Coast Guard officer

Three witnesses, including a pathologist and a friend of the deceased, gave evidence in the murder trial of Andre Ricardo Watson on Wednesday.

Watson, of Lakes Village, St Andrew, is accused of murdering former Coast Guard officer David Thompson, formerly of Mount Standfast, St James, between August 23 and 26, 2020.

Thompson’s skeletal remains were found in a burnt-out car in Ashford, St John.

Taking the witness stand as the trial continued in Supreme Court No. 2A before a 12-member jury, police officer Wayne Marcellin testified that on August 23, 2020, Thompson, whom he had known from school days at the then St Lucy Secondary School (now Daryll Jordan Secondary School), had spent much of the day at his home.

Marcellin said Thompson left later in the day to pick up his girlfriend from Lonestar Restaurant, and he had followed in his own vehicle. After Thompson took his girlfriend home, the two men went to a bar in Westbury Road, St Michael, and had a few drinks before parting ways.

The following day, Thompson’s girlfriend contacted Marcellin, asking if he knew where Thompson was. Marcellin attempted to reach his friend but was unsuccessful.

Also testifying was Dr Stephen Jones, who conducted the autopsy on Thompson’s body. He said there was heat damage with severe tissue loss, bone charring, and loss and fracturing of bones. The autopsy report also stated that there were no changes in the bones or residual soft tissue that could be attributed to injury.

Dr Jones ruled that the cause of death was unnatural. The third witness, Lloyd Smith, a general worker at a funeral home, testified that he removed the body from the scene at Ashford and transported it to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital under police escort.