The Tribune

By RIEL MAJOR

Tribune Staff Reporter

rmajor@tribunemedia.net

THE Royal Bahamas Defence Force marine charged with murdering his superior at Government House is set to stand trial in August before the Supreme Court.

Able Seaman Jevon Seymour stood before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt yesterday to receive a voluntary bill of indictment.

Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt gave Seymour the option of presenting his alibi yesterday in court or to submit his alibi within 21 days to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Seymour told the court he has an alibi and wished to submit the details to the DPP’s office.

Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt told Seymour yesterday was his last appearance in Magistrates Court and he will appear before Supreme Court Justice Bernard Turner on August 16 at 10 am to enter a plea.

Seymour was remanded into custody until then. He can apply for bail at the Supreme Court at any time in the interim.

Before the hearing, a small group of people, some of whom wore white t-shirts that read “Justice for Jevon”, gathered outside the Magistrates Court’s precincts in support of their loved one.

Seymour, 35, is charged with the shooting death of RBDF Petty Officer Percival Perpall, 52, and the attempted murders of two of his colleagues, Calvin Hanna and Ellis Rahming on April 28.

According to initial police reports, the three officers were attacked while on duty at Government House.

Around 2.30am on the date in question, a man accessed Government House, made his way to the guard house where P/O Perpall, the guard commander, and other officers were, police reported.

According to police, P/O Perpall was seated in the administrative area along with another RBDF marine while others were on break in another area.

The male intruder subsequently opened fire on P/O Perpall, hitting him several times to the upper body before fleeing the premises. He was pursued by alert marines, but escaped.

Paramedics were summoned to the scene where they pronounced P/O Perpall dead.

P/O Perpall enlisted in the RBDF more than 30 years ago and was once a United Nations peacekeeper in Haiti.