Witness heard a loud explosion

STATE WITNESS Michael Allerte yesterday told the court that he saw two “fellahs” grab and struggle with murder accused Keston Edwards during which he heard a loud explosion. Allerte was at the time testifying in the trial into the February 2002 murder of Laventille resident Kwesi “Chin” Kemkaran.

Edwards, who was 17 years old at the time of the incident, is before High Court Judge Melville Baird in the Port-of-Spain First Criminal Court charged with murdering Kemkaran sometime between February 16 and 17 at Fort Picton at Picton Road, Laventille. Kemkaran, 19, was killed while liming with a friend at the Fort. Allerte, 20, told the court that around 7 pm on July 16, 2002, he was at Picton Road, Laventille when he saw Keston, Anton and another teenager from the area. He explained that they all contributed money to buy a pizza and sent the teen into Port-of-Spain to purchase it. He explained that Keston and Anton left to go to the Fort and he followed a short time later. He said when the young man returned with the pizza, he joined them at the Fort.

Sometime later, as he was about to go home, one of his “partners” came to look for him and they went to the side of the Fort near the cliff. He said Keston and Anton came across and joined them and it was at this point that two “fellahs” approached Keston and grabbed him. He said Anton started to back away and a struggle broke out between the two “fellahs” and Keston, during which he heard a loud explosion. Allerte  told the court that he and Anton fled the scene and he went home. Asked by State attorney Althea Alexis how many shots he heard, Allerte said he heard three shots. Under cross-examination, Allerte told defence attorney Ulric Skerritt that he did not know the two “fellahs” who were struggling with Anton nor did he see Anton with a gun prior to the incident. He also testified that they had gone to the Fort to be by themselves to eat the pizza. Also testifying in the trial were a third form student of Excel Composite School and police photographer Keith Louison.

In his testimony, the 14-year-old student told the court that he was at his grandmother’s house at Picton Road, around 7.45 pm on February 16, 2002, when Anton approached him and asked him to go to PoS to purchase a pizza. He said Anton gave him $65. The teen explained that he took the money and went to Pizza Boys, Independence Square, to buy the pizza. When he returned to Picton Road, he went to the Fort to meet Anton, Michael and Keston. He explained that after eating the pizza, he went home. Sometime later he heard his uncle say something and went downstairs where he saw Keston and Bandy bring someone and place them on the concrete bench. He then went back inside. Under cross-examination, the teen explained that the concrete bench is similar to a wall and that the person he saw the two boys carry to the bench was wearing a jersey. He also stated that the two boys were carrying the person from near the of the cliff top.