The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A Supreme Court yesterday jury saw surveillance video footage of the brutal murders of Barry and Sheena Johnson at their Deadman’s Reef triplex apartment.

In the video, four masked armed men wearing hoodies rushed Johnson as he arrived home and opened his front door.

They shoved him to the ground and huddled over him with guns while he lay in a fetal position on the front porch.

After a few minutes, one of the gunmen shot Johnson in the back of the head.

He is then seen at the opened front door firing two shots inside the residence, killing Mrs Johnson before fleeing the scene.

The footage was captured from the surveillance cameras installed at the Johnsons’ apartment.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Marlin Grant retrieved a DVR from the couple’s residence on September 13, 2015, following the murders.

Paul Belizaire, Devaughn Hall, and Kevin Dames are on trial for the murder and armed robbery of the Johnsons. It is alleged that the incident occurred sometime between 9pm and 10pm on September 12.

It also alleged that the accused robbed the Johnsons’ of their GMC Sierre truck.

Mr Johnson was a supervisor at the Freeport Container Port, and his wife was a school teacher. Their bodies were discovered around 8am on the morning of Sunday, September 13.

ASP Grant, who has some five years of experience in surveillance systems, testified that he went to the apartment complex after receiving certain information.

On arrival, he was directed by an officer to a DVR. He observed two camera images of the front view of the complex. One of the cameras showed a closer image of the front door entrance of the Johnsons’ apartment.

ASP Grant took the DVR to his office for examination, and connected it to his computer monitor and downloaded a copy of the recording dated September 12, 2015, with the times 9.19pm and 10.19pm to a CD.

Defence counsel Geoffrey Farquharson, who represents Belizaire, strongly objected to the CD being entered as evidence on the grounds that “it was irrelevant and had no evidential value” to the case.

“It is utterly prejudicial, and the tendering of it by the prosecution is to inflame the passion of the jury,” he argued.

Mr Farquharson further argued the computer-generated evidence, for which no proper groundwork had been done, was edited and altered to suit the purpose of the prosecution and that it is hearsay from the witness.

Shurland Carlson, who was holding brief for counsel Jethlyn Burrows, also objected on behalf of her client Devaughn Hall to the CD being entered as evidence on the grounds it would be prejudicial.

Carlson Shurland, who represents Dames, did not object to the CD evidence.

Neil Brathwaite countered that CD evidence was not irrelevant and it was not edited or altered.

“I don’t see how it could not be relevant; this is about the murder of a couple and we have surveillance footage of what happened,” he told the court.

Justice Estelle Gray-Evans overruled the objection and the video surveillance footage was shown to the jury on a flat screen television.

Two time periods were shown – one at 9.20pm to 9.31pm and the second from 10.20pm to 10.23pm.

In the first video recording, Mrs Johnson arrives home around 9.21pm. She is seen on her cell phone walking to the front door and goes inside the apartment.

About two minutes later, she leaves the residence and goes to her vehicle to retrieve some bags and takes them inside.

On the second video recording, her husband arrives home around 10.21pm.

Johnson, who is wearing his FCP work coverall, walks to the front porch and opens the front door when he is rushed by four masked men armed with guns.

One of the men goes inside the apartment and later returns to the front porch where Johnson is on the ground in a fetal position surrounding by three gunmen.

The men appear to be talking to Johnson as he lay on the ground. Johnson is made to kneel on the front porch.

One of the gunmen shoots him in the back of the head and he collapses to the ground.

Shooter

As three of the gunmen flee, the shooter goes to the opened front door and fires two shots inside, killing Mrs Johnson.

He flees, and the headlights of a vehicle are seen leaving the area.

During cross-examination, Mr Farquharson asked ASP Grant if he was familiar with the residence and he said the first he had been there was on Sunday, September 13, when he collected the DVR.

“Are you suggesting this video is the video of that residence?” he asked, suggesting that from the video which is black and white, it could be any triplex apartment in Grand Bahama.

Mr Grant said the video was of the Johnsons’ triplex.

He then suggested that since he did not set up the DVR, the date appearing on the footage could have been December 12, 2015, and not September 12, 2015, but ASP Grant said he examined the DVR in his office in September of 2015. The trial continues.