Love triangle led to hit

A LOVE TRIANGLE, a smile before an execution, and a hitman paid $10,000 to kill a doctor, were the ingredients in the State’s case which were outlined yesterday at the start of the Dr Chandra Naraynsingh murder trial.

After more that a week of legal arguments which preceded the much anticipated trial, the State got off to a flying start with four witnesses called to testify.

Trial judge is Justice Herbert Volney and before him is Seeromani Maraj-Naraynsingh, wife of Prof Vijay Naraynsingh, and businessman Elton Ramasir, both of whom are charged with the murder of Dr Chandra Naraynsingh the professor’s second wife. She was shot dead 13 years ago at the Langmore Health Foundation, Palmyra Village, near San Fernando.

Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Carla Brown-Antoine outlined the State’s case for about 45 minutes to a 12-member jury. She listed the evidence which the State would present in court.

Brown-Antoine then told the jury that while Maraj-Naraynsingh and Ramasir did not "pull the trigger" in the killing of Dr Chandra, they are charged with murder because they allegedly participated in the commissioning of her killing. "By planning her killing, procuring her killer Shawn Parris and paying him to kill her," Brown Antoine said," are the reasons for Maraj-Naraynsingh and Ramasir being charged with murder."

The State prosecutor then told the jury that Ramasir was accused of aiding and abetting the offence "further" by providing the gun that killed Dr Chandra Naraynsingh.

Brown-Antoine told the jury that Dr Chandra Naraynsingh’s killing on June 29, 1994, took place on the third attempt to execute her. The prosecutor said that on one of the two occasions when the contracted, killer Shawn Parris, went to do the job, he hesitated. He had seen "his target" holding a baby girl, Brown-Antoine said.

Parris was sentenced to life imprisonment on February 11, 2005, after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the killing. Parris was ordered to serve 30 years in jail before he could be brought up for parole.

Brown-Antoine said that on the day of the killing, the victim was in the Langmore Health Foundation’s car park, when she came face to face with a man who was wearing a sling on his arm. "A man came close by the driver’s door and I think she smiled and got into the car," Brown-Antonine said. "That man was Shawn Parris, " she added.

The jury was told that five shots were fired at Chandra — three of which struck her in the back. One hit the woman in the shoulder and in the palm of her hand. The doctor died from shock and haemorrhage as a result of the gunshot wounds.

Brown-Antoine told Volney and the jury that the contract for the killing began with a meeting in the carpark at the Gulf City Shopping Complex days before the execution. State witness Junior Morris had accompanied his brother, Ken, to the meeting, Brown-Antoine said. Brown-Antoine told the court that Maraj-Narynsingh and another man had said they wanted to eliminate someone. The Deputy DPP said when Ken Morris asked what was meant by "eliminate," Maraj-Naraynsingh responded — "To kill her." A price of $100,000 was agreed on to carry out the killing, the jury heard, of which $10,000 was used to take Parris out of jail on June 23, 1994.

The judge and jury heard from Brown-Antoine that Parris was told by Ramasir about the "job." However, Brown-Antoine told the judge and jury that when Parris asked why she had to be killed, Ramasir allegedly told him it was because of "a love triangle between the woman’s husband and another lady."

Brown-Antoine said that in another meeting, Ramasir complained to Parris, Ken Morris and Errol "Rev" Pierre, that "money pass and nothing happening." The prosecutor told the jury that Maraj-Naraynsingh had told Ramasir that the job needed to be carried out in the next few days because the woman’s husband was not in the country. "Make sure that woman is dead," Maraj-Naraynsingh allegedly told Ramasir. The jury heard from Brown-Antoine that the next day at Ramasir’s Auto Supplies on Cipero Street, San Fernando, Ramasir handed Parris a brown bag. In that bag was a .38 revolver loaded with five rounds of live ammunition wrapped in a piece of cloth.

Later that day, the first attempt was made to kill Chandra as she drove into the garage of her home at Elizabeth Gardens, St Joseph. However, when Parris saw that the woman had a baby with her, he "aborted the mission."

The jury heard of the second attempt -- Parris arrived at the Langmore Health Foundation as Chandra was driving out of her workplace, and again he could not carry out the contract.

"But her luck would eventually run out," Brown-Antoine said.

Special prosecutor Dana Seetahal, who is leading Brown-Antoine, then called assistant nurse at Langmore Health Foundation, Joan Ash, to the witness stand. Ash testified that she saw Chandra speaking on the telephone in the clinic at 2 pm. She then saw her walk to her car. Ash testified, "When I was coming back from the kitchen I heard ‘Pow! Pow! Pow!’ It was loud. I ducked. The place get very still. I went out to see. I saw Dr Naraynsingh slumped in the car with half of her body inside and the rest was outside."

Five photographs were tendered into evidence by State attorney Narissa Ramsundar through the testimonies of retired police photographer Linda Ramsey and WPC Allison Woods. The photos were shown to the jury. Three photographs depicted the carpark at Langmore while the other two showed Chandra’s residence at Elizabeth Gardens, and the street on which she lived. State witness Geeta Saxeena testified that she identified Chandra’s body for pathologist Dr Ramnath Chandu Lal. Saxeena said she also went to her funeral at Buena Vista Street, St Joseph, and then to her cremation. Queen’s Counsel Karl Hudson-Phillips and Senior Counsel Ramesh Lawrence objected to two other photographs being tendered. Their objections were upheld by Volney.

The d eputy DPP’s extensive opening address followed the task of selecting the jurors which took almost an hour. Seven persons from the pool requested to be excused from sitting, and another 15 were challenged by the State and defence.

The case continues today when it is expected that Seetahal will call more State witnesses to testify in the trial.