By LAMECH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
ljohnson@tribunemedia.net
ONE of three men sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a policeman asked the Court of Appeal for time to get the attorney he wanted to argue his appeal.
Clinton Evans appeared before the appellate court yesterday informing them that he intended to appeal his conviction and life sentence for the 1999 murder of Constable Jimmy Ambrose at the now-closed Club Rock Disco.
“So we don’t need to assign counsel at the public’s expense for you?” Justice Anita Allen asked.
“No ma’am,” he answered before going to ask the court for some time to allow him to privately retain the attorney who represented him in his retrial as his then court-appointed attorney.
Justices Allen, Stanley John and Neville Adderley asked Evans if he could do so before April 15. He said he could.
Last July, “Russ Evans”, Stephen “Die” Stubbs and Andrew “Yogi” Davis were each found guilty of murder in the March 1999 death of Constable Jimmy Ambrose and attempted murder of Constable Marcian Scott. Evans was separately charged with two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to put another in fear. He was found guilty on both counts.
Stubbs was represented by Murrio Ducille and Jerone Roberts while Davis and Evans were represented by Ian Cargill and Ramona Farquharson-Seymour respectively.
According to the evidence, Constable Ambrose and Constable Scott were shot at by Stubbs and Evans after a fight in a local nightclub. Ambrose was hit and died as a result of his injuries.
Evans had a firearm with intent to put Constables Frank Burrows and Calvin Robinson in fear of their lives.
All three men pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them. The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on all counts.
In October, Justice Roy Jones sentenced them to life imprisonment when he determined that the case did not meet the “worst of the worst” requirements for the death penalty.
Even if it had met those requirements, he said the prosecution had failed to follow sentencing guidelines, by giving notice of their intention.
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