Killed for a pen

After management of a store refused to change a defective pen for Barry Clarke, he bought himself a new cutlass, went back to the store and chopped to death 23-year-old cashier Summer Charles. He also went after supervisor Muzaffar Ali with his sharpened cutlass, but was poked away with a piece of iron Ali had armed himself with.

This was part of the evidence given before Justice Prakash Moosai, in the Port-of-Spain Assizes  yesterday, where 47-year-old Clarke is being tried for Charles’ murder. He is being defended by Sophia Chote and Shastri Roberts, while Cheron Raphael is prosecuting for the State. Sharon Stafford, who worked at Young’s Hardware on Charlotte Street, Port-of-Spain, testified that about 9 am on November 1, 1999, a man resembling Clarke purchased a cutlass for $35. About an hour later, Clarke, armed with a new cutlass, entered Emdad’s Variety Store on Charlotte Street and began chopping Charles. The cashier evaded the chops and ran out the store chased by Clarke. According to Jason Ramlal, now a policeman but a former employee of the store, Charles fell as she ran and while she was on the ground, Clarke began chopping her. While Ramlal went to call the police, Clarke went back into the store looking for Ali, the supervisor he had spoken with two days earlier.

Cassandra Goodridge, a sales clerk at the store, testified that Clarke ran back into the store asking: “Whey ‘em, whey ‘em, whey ‘em.” Each time Goodridge replied: “I don’t know.” When Clarke saw Ali standing on the steps with a piece of iron in his hand, he shouted: “Is you ah want.” Clarke started firing chops while Ali poked at him with the iron. Clarke eventually left. Prior to the Monday morning incident, the court heard that on the previous Saturday Clarke went into the store and had a conversation with Charles about exchanging a pen. He also went to the back of the store and had a discussion with management. When he returned to the cashier, he took a new pen and left a 25 cent piece. Charles alerted Ali that “this man taking the pen” and Ali confronted Clarke and called the security guard. There was a scuffle and the pen was eventually taken away from Clarke who was escorted off the compound. Hearing continues today.