Day 21 of the one don Klansman trial saw the prosecution’s witness detailing further a double murder and arson, implicating the alleged gang leader Andre Blackman Bryan and his 32-co-accused. The witness spoke of an incident where gang members murdered a man and a woman and after setting their house ablaze. But during the examination Chief Justice Bryan Sykes interjected, as he believed some of the prosecution’s questions were unrelated.
This is not the first time Chief Justice Sykes has instructed the prosecution to be more pointed and focused with their questions. While yielding, the prosecution sought to defend their stance, saying much of the evidence being given has led to the identification of most of the defendants.
Meanwhile, the witness told the court of an incident where he, Bryan, and a group of the defendants who were armed, walked to a section of the Spanish Town community known as fisheries. The witness says a gang member gave him a crate of homemade bottle bombs to carry.
Upon reaching the community, the defendant Tareek James allegedly kicked open a door to a board house where they saw a man and a woman. The woman started screaming and begging for them not to kill her.
Bryan allegedly took a gun from Tareek and shot the man, the witness says Tareek took back the gun to murder the woman despite her pleas for mercy. Members of the gang then lit bottle bombs and threw them in the house.
Before leaving the community the group kicked open two more doors of houses nearby, but no one was injured as they were elderly people and Bryan allegedly grew a conscience and told the men to leave them.
The witness says they went in search of a man called Bobo sparks who was said to be a top shooter for Tesha Miller, reputed leader of the Klansman gang.
The former gang member, now turned crown witness made mention of an incident where two men allegedly from Denham Town were killed by two of the defendants.
The witness testified that he once carried Andre Bryan’s mother to collect extortion money in Spanish Town. The money from extortion the witness says was used to buy guns and ammunition.
However, the witness says he once told Blackman to use the money to construct his recording studio instead of purchasing weapons. The court will resume at 10 am on Monday, November 8.
More in this CVM Live story from Robian Williams:
