Cop: Woman shot in neck

A RETIRED police corporal testified on Tuesday that a lead missile was removed from the neck of murdered school teacher Albida Lopez during an autopsy conducted at the Forensic Sciences Complex by Forensic Pathologist Dr Ramnath Chandu Lal.

Cpl Ortaiz was at the time giving evidence before Justice Prakash Moosai at the Port-of-Spain Third Criminal Court in the trial into the June 8, 1997 murder of school teacher Albida Lopez at Lyndon Street, Curepe. Albida was shot and killed while sitting in the front seat of her husband’s car. Ortaiz took the stand to give evidence on Tuesday. However, he did not complete his evidence in chief, since the court was adjourned for the attorneys to deal with some matters concerning the law. The jurors were then discharged for the day and instructed to return to court on Monday morning. In his testimony on Tuesday, Ortaiz, who was attached to the St Joseph Police Station at that time, explained that around 1.30 am on June 8, 1997, he received a wireless transmission while driving along  the Priority Bus Route. He proceeded to the Mt Hope Hospital where he met PC Edwards. After speaking to Edwards, he went to the Priority Care Unit of the hospital where he met Dr Fareed Rajack, who pointed out Albida’s body on an examination table. The doctor pointed out a wound to the right side of Albida’s face. Ortaiz said Albida was dead.

Dr Rajack also informed him that he had taken possession of a brassiere, and that arrangements were made for the body to be placed at the mortuary. Ortaiz said he then interviewed Albida’s husband Sheldon Lopez, after which he went to the scene of the shooting at Lyndon Street, in the company of Edwards and WPC Mitchell. He explained that there he observed a quantity of broken glass, which appeared to be fragments of a shattered glass. Ortaiz said he interviewed several people at Lyndon St. A while later he made a request for WPC Alexis, an official police photographer, to visit the crime scene. He pointed out several areas to her and she took photographs of them. He also said he instructed an official police draftsman to make a sketch of the crime scene. He said that he and Alexis returned to the police station, where PC Salandy handed over a beige Mazda 323 motorcar, which was the vehicle driven by Lopez at the time of the incident, to him. Ortaiz said he examined the vehicle and found that the front right door glass was shattered, the left passenger seat was fully reclined and there was blood on the front and back seats of the car.

He said he also observed a mustard coloured pants on the rear seat. There was blood on it. Ortaiz further explained that he took possession of a red panty, a black shoe and a flowered type bodice that were in the vehicle. The items were photographed and shown to Lopez (S) who identified them. Ortaiz told the court that on the June 9, 1997  he spoke to Dr Chandu Lal and later accompanied the body to the Forensic Sciences Complex where the post mortem was carried out and a lead missile retrieved from the base of the victim’s neck. On June 12, Ortaiz said he accompanied Lopez (S) to the Arima Health Facility where he was examined. He also testified that he went to the Licensing Authority where he received a certified copy for the vehicle that was allegedly driven by the State’s main witness Raymond Pierre, on the night of the incident. Following an intensive investigation Ortaiz executed a warrant on Nicholas John at his home and arrested him. Keino Lewis was later arrested while travelling in a vehicle at Lady Young Avenue, Morvant, based on enquiries carried out by Ortaiz. They were both charged with the murder of Lopez.