Man was shot dead in car

Before Justice Malcolm Holdip is Adrian Hosein, 40, of St John’s Road, South Oropouche who is charged for the murder of Andrew Richardson, 23, his friend and with whom he was liming on that fateful night on October 7.

A mixed jury comprising 12 members heard from State attorney Hema Soondarsingh, that Hosein, Richardson and two other men went out in a car to lime.

Hosein asked one of the friends if he could find him a gun and the friend replied that he would ask Richardson.

That night, Soondarsingh said, Richardson had given Hosein the gun and they all went out liming. The jury heard from Soondarsingh, who is being assisted by Senior State Attorney Shabana Shah in prosecuting the case, that eventually the men drove to South Oropouche at about 11 pm and while there, Hosein told Richardson to get out of the car because he wanted to show him something.

He then pointed the gun at Richardson.

Soondarsingh said the State will lead evidence from a witness that Richardson got back into the car and Hosein fired a shot which struck the deceased on one of his legs. Holdip and the jury were told that Richardson was then shot in the head. They were further told that Hosein then got into the car and placed the deceased’s head on his legs and the car was driven by one of the friends to the M2 Ring Road in Woodland.

Richardson’s body was dumped in a canefield off a gravel road.

The State called police photographer Sgt Winston Fran?ois who tendered 13 photographs of the body and the area where it was found in the canefield, into evidence. One of the photographs was objected to by defence attorney El Farouk Hosein, instructed by attorney Farah Abdool.

The objection to the photographs being tendered, was based on the ground that the prejudicial value far outweighed the probative impact, it could have on the jury. The State agreed and that photograph was not tendered.

Fran?ois said that it was at about 1.45 am the following day when he went to the crime scene and took several photographs.

The body, he said, was about ten feet into the canefield off the gravel road.

The trial continues tomorrow when the State is expected to call one of the eyewitnesses to give evidence.