Around eleven this morning Ronel Gonzales, Clarence Grant and Edward Grant all walked out of the Supreme Court free men. The accused were charged for the 2006 murder of twenty year old David Pook. On August twenty eight, 2006 David Pook’s badly decomposed body was found lying in some bushes near the bingo apartments on Faber’s Road. A post mortem confirmed that he died due to a stab wound to the neck. Pook had been missing some four days before his remains were discovered.
Prior to his death Pook reportedly had received threatening calls on his cell phone. Police suspect that it was a woman who had lured Pook to his death. Two years later the case concluded without even going to trial. Apparently the everything fell apart after the after the police and prosecution failed
to locate their main witness. That person identified as Kishana Barona reportedly would have been able to link all three to the homicide. Lead prosecutor Tracy Sosa had asked the court to allow a statement the witness had given in 2006 to be entered as evidence in the case. Supreme Court Judge Herbert Lord in making his ruling stated that the evidence was not sufficient because as prescribed by law reasonable steps were not taken to ensure that the witness be brought to court. Lord further stated the police did not exercise all diligence to locate the witness.
On Tuesday a jury of 8 women and 4 men were selected to hear the case but no evidence was ever heard in their presence and this morning judge lord dismissed the jury. Late this evening David Pook’s parents former police officer Reginio and Adelita Pook spoke to 7NEWS about what transpired. Both say the police and the justice system failed them in the murder of their son.
Reginio Pook, Father of Deceased
“The other thing that shocked me very much is when the Judge stated that the investigating officer testified to the court that he had checked number one Dean Street that the witness gave as her address and when a second check was made by some PC Jones, this address is a open lot. Now what puzzled me there is that that address had never been checked. From day one they would know that witness had given a wrong address from the very first start. So the police had lacked their investigation, they had done some flimsy investigation out there. This could have been done better. I had helped the police all the way to the best of my knowledge and ability just to find out that they had slipped down so bad. It is a shame on the part of the Police Department.”
Adelita Pook, Mother of Deceased
“If I had a gun I would shoot the three of them, that’s a fact. All mothers would feel the way I feel, that’s a fact and I am not ashamed to tell anybody. I tell my husband, if I had a gun I would kill the three of them.”
Reginio Pook,
“It is a very rough time for the past, we’re looking next to two years right now. It is a very rough time but the saying is that we had a allowed the justice system to take their course and if they do not, then there are other alternatives out there. We do not want to take that way but if we are forced then we have to do what we have to do out here and the world is a cycle, everybody knows it. The Lord said thou shalt not kill, they had committed something wrong. Maybe they feel that they got away from up in the higher courts but the Lord is not sleeping.”
Following today’s ruling lead prosecutor Tracy Sosa says they plan to reinstate the charges against all three men as soon as a new DPP comes into office. Defence attorney Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley says he’s looking forward to because the evidence against the men was weak and he does not believe the main witness will ever appear to testify against the accused.
