Death over cell phone and iPod
On trial: Kelvin Chisholm.
On trial: Kelvin Chisholm.

A 12-MEMBER jury was on Tuesday morning empanelled for the 2014 alleged murder of Nigel Lawson at Quamina Street, Georgetown before Justice Navindra Singh in the Georgetown High Court.

The accused Kelvin Chisholm pleaded not guilty to the offence to which he stands indicted.
This states that on May 1, 2014 he allegedly murdered Nigel Lawson in a confrontation.

The state is expected to call 11 witnesses.

In her opening address, State Prosecutor Tiffini Lyken told the court that on the evening in question at about 08:30hrs, the motionless body of Lawson was found on Quamina Street with a wound to the body.

She related that he was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Lyken added that a post mortem conducted on May 7, 2014 revealed that Lawson died as a result of the perforation of the heart and lungs due to stab wounds.

She added that the police conducted an investigation and the accused Kelvin Chisholm was arrested and charged for the offence.

The state called its first witness, Petal Geoffrey, who said that the deceased was her brother-in-law and that he used to live at 188 Camp Street, the same residence where she still resides. She said that the last time she saw him alive was on April 27, 2014.

Geoffrey told the court that the deceased was a handy man. She said she was at GPHC mortuary where she identified the body to Dr. Nehaul Singh who performed the post mortem and that she was also present at his funeral..

Ex-cop Delicia Brown took the stand and testified that in 2014 she was a member of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and attached to CID Brickdam Crime Scene Unit.

She related that on May 1, 2014 she was summoned to the crime scene of an alleged murder at Quamina Street, and that upon arrival she observed the motionless body of a male lying on the parapet.

She collected a red jersey which was soaked with a reddish substance which appeared to be blood and placed it in a self-sealed evidence bag.

Brown further stated that upon examination of the body she observed a wound to the left side chest and that the arm of the deceased appeared to be broken.

She added that photos of the body were taken by another rank but it was she who lodged the evidence at the Brickdam Police Station.

The witness said that on September 11, 2014 she was summoned at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court and when she went to uplift the evidence she was told ‘something’ and was unable to uplift same.

She told the court the red jersey in question had a small hole to the left side.

Lance Corporal Quinn Sandy testified that on the night in question he was on patrol when he was summoned to the scene, and upon arrival at the location he observed a motionless body of a male.

He related that he was approached by a minibus operator who indicated to him that the accused had just left the scene. He then drove up to Thomas Street where he was approached by the accused.

Sandy told the court that the man said to him: “A man went in my yard and pick up my cell phone and iPod and walked out.” Sandy added that as a result of what the accused told him he jumped on a bicycle and went after the man, pleading with him to hand over his articles but he refused and there was a scuffle.

The witness stated that at that point the accused was arrested and placed in custody at Brickdam Police Station where he requested a telephone call which was granted.

The accused is being represented by defence attorney Compton Richardson in association with Hewley Griffith.

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