Husband saw wife’s face shot off

A husband related to a jury yesterday how his school teacher wife was shot to death  while he and she sat in a car talking on Lyndon Street, Curepe in 1997.

Sheldon Lopez, a Material Clerk with Readymix Limited, related to the 12-member jury in the Port-of-Spain Criminal Court how he heard a “click,” a loud explosion and then saw a big hole on the right side of his wife’s face, and lots of blood. Lopez was testifying before Justice Prakash Moosai, in the Third Assizes, where Keno Lewis and Nicholas John are on trial for the murder of 30-year-old school teacher and mother of one, Albyda Lopez. She was fatally shot on the morning of June 8, 1997. According to Lopez, he and his wife had returned from Club Coconuts and had stopped at the corner of Lyndon Street and Joyeau Street, talking, when after five minutes, they heard a noise at the back of their car. Lopez  then observed a man knocking the glass on the driver’s side where he was seated. The man asked him to put down the glass saying: “I want to ask you something.”

Lopez said he drove off, but heard a “click” and a loud explosion. He saw fire and the  glass shattered.  He drove to Rapsey Street where he stopped to speak to his wife.  When he had no response he put on the hood light and saw a large hole on the right side of his wife  face which was bleeding a lot. He drove to the police station, and on the way to the hospital his wife died. Lopez related to the Court how he, his wife and one year-old daughter Samantha had left their Maloney Gardens home and drove to Bamboo Settlement, Valsayn, to visit relatives. Later that day he left his daughter with relatives and he and his wife went to Club Coconuts. They spent about an hour there and decided to return to Valsayn. They stopped at KFC restaurant off the highway in Curepe, but realised they did not have enough money to make a purchase. Lopez then drove along the Southern Main Road towards Curepe Junction. But he turned into Lyndon Street and after passing Joyeau Street, he stopped the car and he and his wife began to talk.

Earlier, during the opening of the State’s case, prosecutor Jerron Joseph, told the jury that they would hear from witness Raymond Pierre, how he was driving Lewis and John along the Southern Main Road when Lewis whipped out a .38 revolver and handed it to John. John remarked: “When I have this all kinds of things does happen.” The trio proceeded east along Lyndon Street where they saw the couple’s car parked. They drove pass and made a block and eventually stopped on Watts Trace. Lewis and John got out of the car and told Pierre to go and wait for them at King Chacha Club on the Main Road. He waited, but then left and while driving  along the Southern Main Road, in the vicinity of Lyndon Street, he heard a loud explosion. He drove back to the Club and saw the two accused running toward the Club. Representing the accused are Oscar King, Selwyn Mohammed and Owen Hinds Jr. Hearing continues today.