Hitman received $100

Alleged hitman Ainsley Alleyne, who failed in his attempt to kill legal secretary Patricia Cox, only received $100. And one of his two accomplices, Jason Holder, got $500. The other, Hilton Winchester received nothing from the man who hired them to do the killing — attorney Joseph Melville, Cox’s boss. But Alleyne and Holder wanted their money so they lied to Melville, claiming that in spite of some uninvited company, they had killed Cox and threw her body off a cliff. The killing contract deal was for $40,000.

This was in part some of the evidence coming out of Alleyne’s deposition which was read to the jury in the Port-of-Spain First Criminal Court, where Melville and taxi-driver Hilton Winchester  are answering charges of conspiracy to murder Cox, attempted murder, kidnapping and assaulting Cox occasioning a wound, on June 28, 2001, at Cumberland Hill, St James. Alleyne, had turned State witness and testified at the preliminary inquiry at the Magistrates’ Court. He died late last year. He was 23 at the time and lived at Bournes Road, St James. Prosecutors are senior prosecutor Trevor Ward, assisted by George Busby, while Nathaniel King and Ken Sagar are defending Melville and Thomas Cunningham is for Winchester. Holder, also charged with the crimes, cannot be found.

According to Alleyne’s deposition, when Holder first introduced Melville to Alleyne, Alleyne  told him: “I have an inheritance in the bank and I needed a lawyer to accumulate the money.” Melville’s reply was that “time is of the essence now, that is secondary matters, and we could handle it at a later date.” After making contact with Holder and  Melville, Alleyne went in search of Winchester who operates his PH car as a taxi. Alleyne told him they “have a job for him, and whatever he ask for, we will pay him; drop the trip up the road and come back.”

Alleyne testified that Melville told him “how the scene was to go down — about the lady who we going to kill.” He claimed Melville said: “She talking about my business. She talking to a policeman, Frank. And the Fraud Squad getting too close to him; and she has to come out of it.” Sometime later, Melville and Holder returned to Bournes Road, St James, where they had first met Alleyne sometime before 3 pm and offered him the hit job, with the promise to get in touch with him when they were ready. Shortly after, the same day, June 28, 2001, they returned for Alleyne to do the job. Alleyne recruited Winchester because they needed a car.

Seated in Winchester’s Nissan Sunny car,  Ainsley, Jason and Winchester, followed Melville  into Port-of-Spain, close to where Melville’s law office is located at 18-20 Pembroke Street. Alleyne stated how Melville planned to lure Cox into the car on the pretext that she would be going with them to sign some legal documents relating to a murder case Melville was working on. “He told me not to get into the car with Winchester until the lady get in the car. He made a phone call and he told the person on the other line to lock up his office, don’t let Spencer leave, and go to the corner of Park and Pembroke Streets. I think Jason and them will be waiting there for you. He just gave me a “wink eye” and switched off the phone. Melville told me it was supposed to be a skillful operation. She  mustn’t rise back up at all.”

Alleyne explained that, as instructed by Melville, he was standing by St Mary’s College, away from Winchester’s car which was parked at the corner of  Park and Pembroke Street, when he saw the “lady coming towards the car and Holder called him. I came towards the car and asked Jason Holder if this is the lady  who is going with me as a witness to sign all the evidence we are going to sign. Melville was across the road, telling the lady it is okay to go ahead in the vehicle.”

Alleyne explained that Cox sat in the back seat of the car, and gave a description of what she was wearing. He continued: “When we reached Cumberland Hill, I lock the lady neck. Before I could have told Holder to lock the door, the doors was locked already while I was locking the lady’s neck. She was struggling. After I lock her neck, Holder started to take off her jewels – I mean chains. I suck her breasts. When I was going up, I put my hands by her panties and she said she seeing she periods. While that was happening, Holder was over the passenger seat taking off her jewels.

“First the lady spoke about the rings. She say it is her mother own. I did not say nothing at that time. She started to say that she is an African sister like myself, and we might have children  and daughters around the same line. She ask if we going to kill her. Then Holder said no, we just  going to tie you up in the bush. Then she said she has money and she has a bank card in her bag. Holder asked her the number. All the time she was in the back seat lying down.” The vehicle eventually reached Cumberland Hill and stopped. Cox was taken out the vehicle and her shoes removed. She was made to sit on a stone. ”All this time she was shivering. She begged them to spare her life.

“Jason asked me what I have to use to kill she. I told him I had nothing. He then said, boy I wonder what is the fastest way. He then picked up a big stone and raised it to hit her. She put up her right hand to brakes. Then he told me to hold down she hands and I tell him to put down the stone. “...The lady took the opportunity and jumped off the precipice. Jason jumped off and started to go down behind her.” Alleyne said, he too was going after Cox but began to slip down the precipice so he abandoned  the idea and went back up. He later lost sight and hearing of Cox and Jason so he and Winchester went back to Fort George and he eventually went home and took a bath. 

Sometime later, he and Winchester went looking for Melville at his office on Pembroke Street, but did not find him. They even telephoned a number, 668-4555, he had given to them. They went back to Bournes Road where Alleyne lived, and while there Holder showed up: “He told us the lady still living. I said let’s go back up and check. We went back up to Cumberland Hill. At Cumberland Hill I came out of the car and went back to where we were. I saw lights where the lady was and I came back to the car and drove off.” Alleyne said, when he contacted Melville for the second time, Melville told them that they had “lapsed,” and called for an immediate meeting. At the meeting, which was held at Cricket Wicket on Tragarete Road, Melville announced that he had heard the news and as a result he could not sleep, or party next week. He insisted Alleyne tell him what really happened. Alleyne lied: “I strangled the lady in the vehicle with my vest and he made sure she was dead. And Holder and myself push her off the cliff.” Melville then added: “Why you did not take her by the hand and foot and fling her off the hill and make sure she dead and break she neck.”