THE trial of Odinga Green which was earlier aborted because of a sick juror, restarted on Thursday with a new panel of jurors.
Principal witness, Inspector Roy Geness, who was sent to collect a man deported from Suriname, returned with a man named ‘Orlando Lewis’, who he said was never charged with murder.
But it might be a case in which Odinga Green also known as ‘Orlando Lewis’ as further evidence just might reveal.
Odinga Green called ‘Dingo’ is indicted for the murder of Nazaleen Mohamed allegedly committed between February 2 and 12, 2007.
So far the witness, Detective Corporal Troy Yorrick, who had given evidence about this aspect of the case, told about removing a badly decomposed body from a coal pit located at the third phase of the Wisrock Housing Scheme in Linden, where he and a party of policemen were unable to identify the violence meted out to the victim.
However, the doctor who performed the post-mortem gave the cause of death as asphyxiation.
The case for the prosecution is being conducted by Mrs. Judith Mursalin, associated with Miss Diana Kaulesar while Attorney-at-law Mr. Nigel Hughes is defending.
Dealing with the facts of the case, Prosecutor Miss Kauleser disclosed that evidence would be led to show that, on the evening of February 2, 2007, the accused, Odinga Greene, went to the home of the deceased with a car, and picked her up along with her friend.
When Nazaleene Mohamed left her home, she was wearing a large quantity of jewellery.
She told her mother in the presence of the accused that Odinga had called her and told her to put on all her jewels because she had to look nice where she was going.
The three of them were going to Cayenne.
The mother of the deceased never heard from her daughter again.
The decomposing body of a female was found at Wisrock, partially buried beneath the sand. She had been strangled, and her ankles were bound together.
Within the period of February 2 and 12, 2007, the accused fled the country. A year later on March 5, 2008 he was handed over by Surinamese authorities to the Guyana police.
Further investigations were carried out while the accused was in custody, and he was later charged for the offence of murder.
The prosecutor also told the jury of five women and seven men that, during the course of the trial, they will be better acquainted with the findings of the police investigation.
She added: “I must remind you that the prosecution must prove its case to you, not beyond any shadow of a doubt, but beyond a reasonable doubt. We cannot be 100 per cent sure of what transpired between the 2nd and 12th days of February, 2007, for the simple reason that none of us was there.
But that does not mean that because you were not present at the time of the commission of the crime, you cannot be sure of what happened. Draw your conclusions based on the evidence presented.
“If you feel sure that it was this accused, who inflicted the injuries which caused Nazaleen Mohamed’s death, then you must convict. However, if you have a reasonable doubt; if for some reason you find that you cannot trust the witnesses’ story, or you have lingering doubts in your mind that it is this man who murdered Nazaleen Mohamed, then you must acquit him and send him home.
“Your duty is a very serious and crucial one to the justice system of this country. Your decision is what ensures that those who are not guilty are kept out of prison, where they do not belong; and also that those who are guilty are kept in prison, away from the rest of society, where they cannot interfere with us.
“We each have a role to play in the courtroom throughout the trial. Pay attention always. You have each taken a solemn oath to try this accused and to return a true verdict according to the evidence you have heard in court. I trust that you will remember this oath and act accordingly,” the prosecutor advised the jurors.
When the hearing continued on Friday before Mr. Justice Franklyn Holder with a mixed jury Odinga Greene told Assistant Superintendent of Police, Julius Wright: “Me ain’t kill that girl.”
Wright who is in charge of the Linden investigation of the shallow grave murder of Nazaleene Mohamed had told the accused, “I have reason to believe that you killed this woman” when the accused uttered the words: “Me ain’t kill that girl, bit I brought her to Linden by car.”
Wright testified that he was the Officer in charge of the investigation team in relation to the Odinga Greene murder.
During the month of February, 2007 he was stationed at Mackenzie Police Stationin Linden.
Relative to the alleged killing of Nazaleene Mohamed which occurred between February 2 and, 2007 on March 6, 2008, about 18.10 hrs after receiving certain information, Wright removed Green out of Mackenzie Police Station lockups and seated him in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Office.
There he told him that he was in receipt of information that on February 2 about 19:00 hours, he (Green)), Black Girl (only name given) and a male collected Nazaleene Mohamed from her home at Lot 1 East Ruimveldt Front Road, with a car en route to Linden.
He further told him that on February 12, Nazaleene Mohamed was found dead in a shallow grave at Wisroc, Linden.
Witness added: “I told the accused that I had reason to believe that he had murdered Nazaleene Mohamed, and I issued the statutory caution to him.”
According to the witness the accused replied: “Me en kill that girl, but me took she to Linden.”
Wright further testified that the accused went on to relate a story in which he claimed among other things that on Friday 2, 2007 during the evening, Green, Nazaleene Mohamed, Black Girl and John (only name given) left Georgetown with a car and went to Buck (only name given) at Wisroc, Linden.
He said that they met Buck sitting under a tree. Nazaleene, the accused said was a friend of Buck.
Witness said the accused told him that he and Black Girl left the company and went to Lot 61 Wisroc Housing Scheme.
The accused told the witness that whilst there with Black Girl, he received a telephone call from Nazaleene who asked him to collect her because she complained, Buck was behaving like an ass.
Wright said the accused went on to tell him that the following day February 3, 2007 he and Black Girl went across to Mackenzie Market where he was involved in a jewellery transaction that totalled $75, 000.
According to the witness the mother of the deceased had said that the accused had told her daughter that he was taking her to Cayenne and that she must wear all her jewellery because she had to be looking nice.
But the accused in response said “Mr. Wright, most of the story she said is the truth but what she said about telling her daughter to wear all her jewellery is not true.”
In answer to the Prosecutor, Senior State Counsel Mrs. Judith Mursalin, the witness Wright said that he was not able to verify the story as was told by the accused because he was unable to locate some of the persons named by the accused including Black Girl and John.
The hearing continues today before Mr. Justice Franklyn Holder and a mixed jury.