Three go on trial for murder of Clint Huggins

Three men charged with the 1996 murder of Clint Huggins, the then key State witness against gang leader Dole Chadee, went on trial yesterday before Justice Alice Yorke Soo-Hon, in the Port-of-Spain Third Criminal Court. A jury of four women and eight men was empanelled to hear the case.

Before calling any witnesses, senior prosecutor Wayne Rajbansee, assisted by Natasha George, outlined the State’s case to the jury of a deliberate and intentional act by the accused to murder Clint Huggins for $3 million.  He told them that a $3 million ‘hit contract’ was taken out by  Dole Chadee  to silence Clint Huggins from testifying against him. The hit was carried out by two of Huggins’ cousins and a friend — Arnold Huggins, Leslie Huggins and  friend Junior Phillip,  during the early hours of Carnival Tuesday, February 20, 1996. Leslie was to collect the money from his uncle Joey Ramiah for the killing. Although the killing took place in 1996 it was not until 1999 the three men were arrested and charged. Two other persons were also present during the slaying of Clint, Simon Ragoonanan who is not before the Court,  and Swarsatee Maharaj. Maharaj  an “eye see witness” to the crime was granted immunity from prosecution by the State in exchange for her testimony. Maharaj had shared a common law relationship with Leslie for about 18 months up to February 1996. Prior to that she lived with Junior Phillip in Montrose, Chaguanas.

Arnold is being represented by Ian Stuart Brooks, Leslie, by Keith Scotland and Dawn Mohan, and Phillip by Osbourne Charles SC instructed by Cryslin Moore. Rajbansee told the jury that they will hear how Clint was killed — Arnold shot Clint twice that night, once to the left side of the head and the other to the right side of the face;  Leslie struck him with a moving car and subsequently stabbed him profusely about his neck, face, shoulder and head; Phillip beat him on the head with a piece of wood; Arnold removed the musical equipment from a Laurel motor car, tore up the upholstery and set the car ablaze with the upper part of Clint’s body lying on the ground and his legs inside the car.  The body of Clint was completely burnt from the waist down. After the killing, the men and Maharaj drove away in a Lancer motor car, and on reaching Valencia stretch, Leslie and Junior threw their jerseys and sneakers onto the grass verge of the road.

At about 5 am the group reached Leslie’s  Sangre Grande home where Junior and Arnold took a bath. Arnold creamed himself thoroughly, explaining that the cream would cover up the gun powder on his skin. Ragoonanan, who drove the Lancer,  vacuumed the car, and on his instruction,  Leslie and Junior threw their pants in a latrine. Rajbansee said a final twist to the plot was the concoction of a false story in the event of being questioned by the police. Maharaj was to say that Clint borrowed the car to buy cigarettes and just never came back. Leslie instructed Maharaj to call Clint and leave a message on his pager that they wanted to know where he was with the car. He told the jury that they will also hear that Maharaj was told to stick to the story otherwise Leslie  would tell the police she was the one who hired and paid  him to kill Clint. Leslie, in driving his point to ‘Satiee’ (Maharaj) to stick to the concocted story, threatened to kill her like he killed Clint. She went along with the plan. A few days later, the gun and knife used in the killing of Clint were cut up and dumped in the Valencia River. Clint, a Special Reserve Police (SRP), had given evidence against Chadee and his gang. He was being protected as a State witness in a safe house at Teteron, Chaguaramas. He left the safe house around 5.00 am on February 18, 1996, Carnival Sunday morning, and went to the home of his cousin Leslie, at Mulchan Street, Guaico, Sangre Grande. They spent the time drinking.

While liming in Sangre Grande on the night of the 19th, Clint met Haile Selassie Amoroso, a cousin of Phillip. Amoroso observed that Clint had been drinking and was lying down in the car. Leslie told Amoroso that now was the right time to pass Clint out because he was drunk and sleeping, but Amoroso refused and left. They went back to the house and Clint fell asleep. Leslie later suggested that they go to Jouvert in Town. The plan to use two cars, a Nissan Laurel, PAS-2319, and a Lancer, PAY-9654. Clint was awakened and went in the back seat of the Laurel. Leslie drove the Laurel while Maharaj sat in the front seat with him. Ragoonanan drove the Lancer with Arnold in the front seat and Junior in the back. Clint was drunk and asleep when Leslie drove the car to the Uriah Butler Highway and pulled off on the shoulder. He was joined by the other vehicle. It was here that Clint was murdered. The matter was adjourned to Monday when the State will call its first witness.