Justice Dawn Gregory to rule on Monday
SEVENTEEN-year-old Travis Rudder is on trial  for  allegedly murdering his 14-year-old girlfriend Donnis King, who it is said died on May 23, 2007 from gunshot wounds inflicted on her on March 23rd .
     When the Bagotstown murder trial was called up at the Demerara Assizes some days ago, Rudder pleaded not guilty to the charge.
     Instead of addressing the jury in the substantive trial, lead prosecutor Miss Konyo Sandiford, in association with Miss Prithima Kissoon and Miss Renita Singh from the DPP Chambers,  started the trial with a voir dire (a trial within a trial).
     Justice Gregory is conducting the voir dire to determine admissibility of certain evidence, including alleged oral and written confessions.
    Six witnesses testified for the prosecution at the voir dire, before prosecutor Sandiford closed her case yesterday.
     Defence Attorney Glenn Hanoman declined to lead a defence, but elected to make a no-case submission at that stage.
    In his submission, the lawyer contended, among other things, that the prosecution had failed to make out a case against his client. He cited  certain  legal authorities to support his contention that the judge ought to free the accused at that stage, on the ground that there were missing ingredients  and that the witnesses were manifestly unreliable.
     But prosecutor Sandiford rebutted  Hanoman’s  submissions.   She, too, cited certain authorities and urged the judge to find that the prosecution had made out a case for the jury to decide.
   The hearing continues on Monday morning, when the judge will deliver her ruling at 10:30 hrs.