The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A WITNESS in a Grand Bahama murder trial told the Supreme Court yesterday that he saw a man running past his house shortly after hearing gunshots in the area of Hearn Lane in March 2016 when three persons had been shot inside a wooden shack.

Prosecution witness Anthony Rolle was called to give evidence in the trial of Renaldo Hudson, 21, who is charged with two counts of murder, attempted murder and armed robbery.

According to initial reports, Jacklyn Armbrister, Noel Hamilton, and Agatha Gaitor were in a wooden shack on a track road in bushes off Hearn Lane and Bruce Avenue on March 21, 2016 sometime around 8am when a gunman opened fired on them. Armbrister was robbed of cash by the gunman who then turned and shot her and the two other people inside the shack.

Armbrister died at the scene. Hamilton and Ms Gaitor were taken to the Rand Memorial Hospital, where Hamilton was pronounced dead by doctors.

Ms Gaitor was taken to hospital and survived.

Mr Rolle told the court he was at home on the date in question around 8am when he heard gunshots from the back of his house.

He went outside and saw some people at the cabana, which is in the back of his house. Mr Rolle said he saw and spoke with two of his aunts.

“I asked them what happened, but they told me they did not know,” he told the court.

Mr Rolle went back inside the house and a short time later saw a man run past the window. He said he spoke to the man briefly.

“You saw the man after this (shooting) happened?” asked prosecutor Erica Kemp.

“Yes,” Mr Rolle replied. When asked who the man was, the witness said the man was “Mooby”.

Ms Kemp asked Mr Rolle if he recognised the white shack in a photograph presented to him. He said he recognised the whole area. When asked the distance of his house in relation to the shack, the witness said it was two corners down from his house.

During cross-examination, attorney Mario Gray asked, “You saw somebody who was running past and you had a conversation?”

“Yes, he went past the window running west,” answered Mr Rolle.

The attorney asked if “Mooby” was running toward or away from the sounds of the gunshots. Mr Rolle said the man was running in a direction away from the gunshots.

A prison doctor also gave evidence testifying that Hudson has a history of asthma and he had prescribed him Ventolin. He was asked the symptoms of an asthma attack.

The doctor said wheezing, tightness of the chest and difficulty breathing are symptoms.

In earlier testimony, a police officer said Hudson had made complaints of tightening in his chest while in custody at the CDU.

During the afternoon proceedings on Tuesday, Judge Estelle Gray Evans instructed the bailiff to assist in removing all persons from the gallery.

The jury, the lawyers and the defendant remained inside.

After about several minutes Hudson was seen being escorted away by officers. It was later learned that the trial was adjourned to January 2019.