Chopped to death over bike

AS HE HELD a blood-stained cutlass in his hand, a man accused of chopping another to death is alleged to have said to the victim’s brother: “Go and see what I do to your brother. Ah chop him and kill him.” This was part of the evidence given by Ronald Narine, who told the 12-member jury in the Port-of-Spain Third Criminal Court he had earlier seen murder accused Ruben John quarreling with murder victim Michael Estrada.

John is before Justice Prakash Moosai charged with chopping Estrada to death over a bicycle at the back of a house on Talparo Main Road, on March 18, 1999. John’s defence team is Theodore Guerra SC and Richard Mason, while Debby Ann Bassaw is prosecuting.

Narine said Estrada and John were quarrelling about a bicycle, and were telling each other: “Ah go chop yuh.” He said Estrada, who was bigger than John, suggested to John that if he wanted to fight, they should throw down their cutlasses and fight. Narine said Estrada threw down his cutlass but John still had his in his hand. Estrada then went to the back of a nearby house and John followed him.

Narine said about three minutes later, John returned from behind the house with his cutlass stained with blood and told Estrada’s brother David, he had just chopped and killed Michael. Under cross-examination by Guerra, Narine said he could not see them at the back of the house, nor did he hear them quarrelling or fighting. “I don’t know what took place at the back of the house,” he said. Hearing will continue on Monday.