War Veteran to know fate July 14

AN 81-year-old World War II veteran who killed his friend after he accused him of stealing his pension money two years ago, yesterday pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

A frail-looking Charles Murray aka “Pops”, was expected to go on trial yesterday in the San Fernando High Court for the murder of Dexter Junior Marshall, 37, aka known as “Chibbly”.

Murray, however, entered a guilty manslaughter plea which was accepted by State prosecutor Narissa Ramsundar.

But Murray will have to wait until July 14 to know what sentence the court would impose on him.

Justice Anthony Carmona will impose his sentence on that day. The State’s case against Murray alleged that on April 1, 2004, Junior Marshall and another person (Hugh Grainger) lived with Murray at Newbold Street, Navet, San Fernando.

Around 5 pm that day, Ramsundar told the court, Grainger had returned home from work. When he walked through the front door of the house, Ramsundar said, Grainger saw Murray hitting Marshall on the forehead with a piece of wood.

Marshall was lying motionless on a piece of sponge on the floor. The prosecutor said Grainger grabbed the wood and flung it out of the room and he asked Murray what had happened. Ramsundar said Murray told him that he had lost his pension. He told Grainger he hit Marshall “two slap”.

The court heard from the State Attorney that Murray then took Grainger into his bedroom where he showed him his wallet and travelling bag. The court heard that Murray had explained how he had lost money from his wallet, a carton of cigarettes and wrappers.

Justice Carmona was told that Marshall was still alive and when Grainger tried to speak to him, Murray left and returned with a piece of iron. Grainger flung the iron away but Murray returned with a piece of wood.

Grainger succeeded in taking that way as well.

Ramsundar said that Marshall was dead by the time the police and ambulance arrived on the scene. An autopsy performed by Dr Hughvon Des Vignes revealed that Marshall died from a stab wound to the chest. Murray was charged by Sgt Andre Bernard.

In asking the judge to impose a non-custodial sentence, Murray’s attorney Ian Gray, said his client had already spent two years and three months in prison awaiting trial.

Gray told Justice Carmona to consider his client’s age and that he had no other matters before the courts. “He is not a spring chicken and he has felt the pain of incarceration,” the attorney said.

Gray said Murray had served in the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment between 1943 and 1946 and World War Two. Gray added that while the accused did not play an active role, he was still classified as a war veteran.

Describing his client as a good Samaritan, Gray told the judge that the accused had invited the deceased to stay with him after his house had burnt down.

But the deceased Marshall, the attorney said, took advantage of the elderly man and stole from him.