Girl, 12, main witness to Christmas murder

A MAN who shot his uncle to death on Christmas Day 2000 went on trial for murder yesterday before Justice Paula Mae Weekes.

Kevon Nurse, 25, is before the Port-of-Spain First Criminal Court charged with the murder of Lester Ash, a steelpan tuner and tailor at Ash’s apartment,  Building 13, Success Village, Laventille.  The main witness against Nurse is 12-year-old neighbour Aneka Shockness. In presenting the case to the jury yesterday, senior State prosecutor Wayne Rajbansee said evidence will be led on how the girl, now 14 years old, saw Nurse put a mask over his head and enter the apartment with a silver object in his hand. Then there were several explosions that sounded like gunshots coming from the apartment some time after midday.  Nurse was also seen leaving with the mask over his head.

The State’s second witness yesterday was Michelle Primus, a neighbour of Ash who lives upstairs. She said she was in the washroom early Christmas morning when she heard a noise downstairs. On checking, she saw Nurse and Ash in a scuffle. Without saying or doing anything, she left and went back upstairs. In answer to questions from defence attorney Rudolph Martin, Primus said scuffles in the neighbourhood were not unusual so she did not take further interest in the matter. Brother of the deceased, Horace Nurse, testified that around 8 o’clock that morning, Ash visited his Barataria home and they both returned to Laventille where he helped Ash move four bags of clothing and a fridge to the third floor of the building. Hearing will continue today.