Lawyer goes on trial for conspiracy to murder

Melville is before Justice Maria Wilson and a nine-member jury, in the Port of Spain Fourth Criminal Court, charged with conspiring to murder his then secretary, Cox, on June 28, 2001. He is also charged with attempted murder, kidnapping and assault.

On the day in question, it is alleged Melville told Cox to wait at the corner of Park and Pembroke Streets, Port-of-Spain, where she was to go with some men to collect documents relating to a case in which Melville was involved.

Cox went to the location and was met by two men who later took her to Fort George Road, St James. One man took Cox up the hill and said he was paid $1,000 to kill her. She offered to pay him $20,000 to spare her life. Realising that she was going to be killed, Cox flung herself off the steep hillside and down a precipice. She was eventually held and stripped. One of the men squeezed Cox’s neck until she became unconscious. Eventually, she regained consciousness and hid.

The next day she made her way down the hill and made her way to the St James Police Station.

At the trial yesterday, the state tendered the evidence of two witnesses in accordance with provisions of the Criminal Procedure Act. The formal admissions were agreed to by the defence and the evidence was read out to the jury.

In his evidence, Zedekiah Aaron, the watchman of the building at 18- 20 Pembroke Street, which housed Melville’s law office said on the day in question, he saw Cox leave the building about 3 pm and walk up Pembroke Street. Sometime later, he saw Melville enter the building.

He said at about 4.30-5 pm Melville exited the building with some files which he gave to a gentleman down the street. The attorney then returned to the building and sometime between 5.30 to 6 pm, he again came back out and asked Aaron if he saw his secretary.

“I told him ‘Yes she went up Pembroke Street,’ Aaron said in his testimony which he would have given on a previous occasion.

The testimony of Eva Marie Edghill was also read out to the jury. She said she was in her yard on June 29, 2001, when she saw a young woman, completely naked, crying out for assistance.

She said she gave the woman something to eat and drink. She also gave her “duster coat” to put on. Edghill said the woman had cuts and injuries all over her body.

She said the woman appeared to be very frightened and was only looking over her shoulders and crying.

State attorney Anju Bhola is prosecuting while attorneys Ravi Rajcoomar, Larry Williams and Radeyah Ali are representing Melville.