‘The devil is a liar’ - Witness recalls officers’ reactions during arrests in Acadia Drive murder case

That was reportedly the reaction of one of the policemen charged in connection with the fatal 2013 shooting of three men along Acadia Drive in St Andrew after he was cautioned for murder six years later.

The disclosure came yesterday during the ongoing trial in the Home Circuit Court involving six members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), who are charged in relation to the killings during a police operation more than a decade ago.

Sergeant Stimroy Mott, Donovan Fullerton, and constables Orandy Rose, Andrew Smith, and Sheldon Richards are on trial for the fatal shooting of Eucliffe Dyer, Matthew Lee, and Mark Allen on January 12, 2013, along Acadia Drive.

Giving evidence, an inspector of police, who said he was only tasked with making the arrests, testified that he and another officer went to the Constant Spring Police Station armed with warrants for the arrest of the six policemen in 2019.

The officer, who was then a sergeant, said he met an inspector, who identified six members of the JCF for whom he had warrants.

The investigator said he identified himself using his JCF identification card and informed the men that he was equipped with warrants to arrest them for murder.

After identifying himself and informing the men of the charges, he said all six men were charged with murder, while Fullerton was additionally charged with making a false statement to the commissioner.

“By way of caution, all the members made no statement with the exception of Mr Stimroy Mott, who said, ‘Mi nuh murder nobody’,” the inspector recalled.

The witness further told the court that the only other officer who commented was Constable Rose, who said: “The devil is a liar.”

During cross-examination, defence attorney Hugh Wildman enquired of the witness whether Rose was professing his innocence when he made the comment.

However, Justice Sonia Bertram Linton told him that he could not ask the witness to interpret what the officer meant.

Before completing his evidence-in-chief, the witness said he had delivered three sealed parcels containing spent casings and bullet fragments to the government laboratory.

Earlier in the trial, another police witness, a detective corporal, testified that the defendants had reported that they came under gunfire after they signalled the driver of a blue Mitsubishi Outlander, carrying four men, to stop along Acadia Drive in St Andrew.

According to the detective corporal, the driver reportedly hesitated before eventually bringing the vehicle to a stop, after which the occupants exited and allegedly opened fire at the police.

The officers then returned fire, the witness said.

He further testified that one of the men ran from the vehicle and escaped during the incident. Following the shooting, the police reportedly recovered two illegal firearms and ammunition.

The trial continues in the Home Circuit Court today.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com