Defence counsel to address jury today
SENIOR Government Pathologist Dr. Nehaul Singh, who performed the post mortem on Audie Peters, the deceased in the ‘Duck thief’ murder trial, in which accused Jainarine Persaud ,42, and Andy Jagmohan ,26, are the alleged killers, yesterday testified that the deceased died from shock and haemorrhage caused by multiple injuries. But the accused, in an unsworn statement from the dock, denied an allegation from the star-witness from the prosecution, Mohamed Ali, that they, the accused, had beaten the deceased with a piece of wood and iron  pipe declaring that they were beating a man who had stolen their duck.
The accused also claimed that witness Ali, called ‘Bruk-up’, had told lies on them in order to put them in trouble because there was bad blood between them.
A mixed jury, under presiding judge, Justice Winston Patterson, is trying the accused for the murder of Audie Peters at Grove East Bank, Demerara, on the 28 February, 2008.
The prosecution, led by Miss Teshana James, in association with Miss Rhondel Weaver, has set out to prove that on the day in question, the two accused, at Grove, East Bank Demerara, beat Audie Peters with a piece of wood and iron pipe, thereby causing his death by multiple injuries.
The two accused, who have pleaded not guilty, are being defended by Attorney-at-Law Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan, in association with Mr. Neil Persram.
The star-witness for the prosecution, Mohamed Ali, testified that he had seen the accused beating Audie Peters, now deceased.
According to Ali, when he rebuked them for beating the deceased, pointing out that they were likely to kill the  man, one of the accused said, “Lef me, let me  kill  him. This man thief my duck.”
The witness Ali said that the accused ran away after the beating that night but returned later with a Community Policing vehicle in which they placed the body of the injured man and took him away. The man was later pronounced dead.
Following the, statement from the dock, defence counsel Ramjattan called prosecution witness Radica Kowladatt, who pointed out that she lived nearby to where the killing took place. She said that she was attracted by the noise that night, she and her husband left their home to see what had happened.
When they arrived on the scene she saw a man lying on the parapet.  She was sure that the accused were not the killers because she was on the scene before them. She was there looking on when she saw both accused opened their doors and join her.
The witness said that she was still there when a Policing Community van with a constable and other persons turned up and collected the body.
The hearing is continuing today when counsel for the defence and the prosecution will address the jury, with the hope that Presiding Judge, Mr. Justice Winston Patterson, will sum up the evidence to the jury tomorrow.