Murder of Dr Eddie Koury:

THE STATE in the preliminary murder inquiry of businessman Dr Eddie Koury yesterday informed Magistrate Indra Ramoo-Haynes at the Tunapuna Magistrates’ First Court that they are ready to proceed with the inquiry on May 8 using a new legislative procedure.

Lead State prosecutor, Queen’s Counsel Karl Hudson-Phillips, said the procedure called the Indictable Offences (Preliminary Inquiry) Amendment Act 2005, will serve in the expedition of the inquiry through the use of written statements from witnesses, which will be filed as evidence.

Hudson-Phillips said a witness may not need to come in the witness box, as a written statement submitted will be equivalent to a deposition. Hudson-Phillips informed lead defence attorney Pamela Elder SC that 37 statements have already been prepared and he expect that by May 12, Elder should have in her possession a total of 77 statements from the prosecution.

Hudson-Phillips said the State was also still awaiting written reports from the local Forensic Science Centre, and are contemplating bringing foreign forensic experts who are conducting DNA tests on other evidence.

The five men accused of Koury’s murder are Kaleb Neville-Donaldson of Rockley Vale, Tobago; Terry Moore, also of Tobago; Robert Franklyn, a former police officer of Laventille; Sean James of Kelly Street, Tunapuna; and Jerome Murray of Mason Hall, Tobago.

Koury was snatched on September 23, 2005, and his headless body found days later in some bushes by villagers in Caparo.