…Jada, 11, who saw ‘death weapon’, to be cross-examined
WHEN the Soufriere murder trial involving accused Shawn Sooklall resumes today, before Justice Roxanne George and a mixed jury at the Assizes, 11-year old Jada Welch who allegedly saw the accused with the alleged death weapon, is expected to be cross-examined.
The daughter of the deceased Tricia Welch, who was allegedly stabbed 14 times by her lover Shawn Sooklall, completed her evidence-in-chief last Wednesday and her cross-examination was expected to have begun last Thursday.
But because of sudden illness on the part of defence counsel Mr.  Mursalene Bacchus, who was unable to attend court that day, the cross-examination was further postponed to today.
State Prosecutor Konyo Sandiford, who in association with Ms. Judith Gildharie-Mursalin had in her opening address told the Demerara Assize jury how she planned by means of circumstantial evidence to prove that the accused was the killer of 39-year-old Tricia Welch, who was found dead with a number of stab wounds at her home, Soufriere Street, North Ruimveldt on July 17, 2006.
Jada is the second witness to be called by the prosecution.   She was subjected to lengthy questioning by the judge before she was finally found competent to give evidence on oath, despite her age.
The first witness was Rita Naraine, sister of the dead woman who had identified the body to the police and the doctor, prior to the holding of a post mortem.
Jada, student of a promising Secondary school in the country, will enter the witness box again on Monday.
Among other things, she has already testified that on the evening in question, her mother and the mother’s boyfriend who drives a taxi had picked up the accused from the Berbice Bus Park and took him to their North Ruimveldt home at Soufriere Street.
Jada had testified that she was asleep in the bottom flat of her mother’s home on the night in question when the accused entered her room and requested that she give him one of her mother’s pants.  She refused. He left after telling her that he was going to kill himself.
According to her, only her uncle Shawn and her mommy were at home that night.
During the night she was attracted by a noise and screams.  She went outside to investigate and saw the accused Uncle Shawn standing with a 10-inch knife in his hand, standing about 20 feet away from her. (witness)
She testified that Shawn came up to her and placed the knife to her throat. The knife, she said, had what appeared to be blood stains.  The accused, she said, was standing not far from her mother who was in a crouching position and had what appeared to be blood stains on the body.