The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

ACCUSED murderer Zyndall McKinney admitted to murdering American Anna Garrison the court heard yesterday from a homicide detective who interviewed him in July 2009.

Inspector Antoine Rahming told a Supreme Court jury he'd spoken to the accused at the Central Detective Unit the morning of July 9, 2009 concerning his alleged involvement in Anna Garrison's death.

The detective presented an alleged statement in court claiming that McKinney, after answering a series of questions, reportedly admitted to the killing. "In mid-November, about the ending part, she came to my house asking Madison to go with her."

McKinney did not want this and the two got into an argument before Ms Garrison attacked him with a knife.

"She and I were struggling and Madison must have heard us because she came out with a knife and stabbed her in the back."

He said he didn't know how, but at some point, she got stabbed in the heart and collapsed on the ground.

McKinney, of Marathon Estates, is accused of the 2009 murder of Ms Garrison, whose decomposed body was found wrapped in sheets on Fox Hill Road on July 4, 2009.

A missing bulletin was issued by police for Ms Garrison in February of that year. However, trial evidence indicated the murder took place at the end of November 2008.

Ms Garrison was living in the Bahamas at the time.

The accused was originally charged with his former girlfriend, 19-year-old Madison Pugh, of Pennsylvania. However, Pugh, the victim's daughter, was acquitted by the jury last Friday on orders of Judge Roy Jones.

The jury was directed to deliver a not guilty verdict on Ms Pugh.

Discussions in the absence of the jury - between Justice Jones, prosecutor Ambrose Armbrister and defence attorney Elliot Lockhart - were sparked by Mr Lockhart's objection to an alleged DVD recorded interview between a US policeman and Madison Pugh being admitted into evidence. When the jury returned to court, the judge told them there was insufficient evidence in the case against Pugh. He instructed them to find her not guilty.

McKinney, however, is still on trial and is defended by Murrio Ducille.

In court yesterday, Inspector Rahming said he had questioned and put suggestions to the accused concerning the current case, after inquiring if he required an attorney for the interview and if he objected to it being video recorded.

He said McKinney did not have an attorney or ask for one, neither did he object to a video recorded interview.

The officer referred back to the written statement of the interview.

He read: "I have information that you had/have a relationship with Madison Pugh. Is this correct?"

"Yes, sir," he replied.

He was then asked about the nature of that relationship and replied: "She was my girlfriend."

"We have information that she lived with you. Is this correct?" the detective asked.

"Yes, sir" McKinney replied. He went on to say that Pugh had lived with him for "five to six months" though they had been in a relationship for nine months.

When it was suggested that he did not have a pleasant relationship with Pugh's mother, he reportedly said, "You're right."

"Plenty things I did put up with," he added.

He then listed a number of things she did to offend him, including wrecking his car that he had lent her, using him and his friends for money, and abusing his ex-girlfriend simply because the 16 year old at the time did not want to go clubbing with her, among other reasons.

It was then suggested that he murdered Ms Garrison. He replied said: "Das true."

He recalled what took place and said he had buried her in the yard, but eventually dug up her body because "I was in fear that my grammy would come across it."

"I put the body in my back trunk and drove to the canal and dumped it."

Later that day while McKinney was in custody at CDU, he took the police to the house where the incident took place, to the canal and finally to the city dump where he had disposed of the weapon.

Inspector Rahming, under examination from prosecutor Armbrister, will continue his testimony today. The trial resumes at 10am.