In court news, a former BDF soldier charged with murder will get a retrial. 33 year old Ted Armstrong was charged for the murder of twenty three year old Jerome “Jazzi” Longsworth.
The victim was fatally stabbed in the left side of his neck in July of 2006 in Hattieville village.
Justice Michelle Arana ordered the retrial after Armstrong’s attorney Darrel Bradley submitted that a statement made by the prosecution witness, Corporal Emmanuel Macfadzean under cross examination was prejudicial to his client.
Under cross examination Macfadzean had told Bradley that Armstrong said that the villagers chased him because he had stabbed Lonsgworth.
In her ruling, Justice Arana said that the prejudicial effect of the statement cannot be erased from the minds of the jury and so she ordered the retrial.
The trial started last week Thursday when the prosecution represented by Senior Crown Counsel Cecil Ramirez called seventeen witnesses.
On Monday two more witnesses Armstrong’s mother and sister were scheduled to testify but they did not appear in court.
According to their evidence, Ted Armstrong was fighting with his sister when his neighbour Jerome Longsworth intervened and was stabbed.
Jerome “Jazzi” Longsworth died shortly after arriving at the nurses’ station in Hattieville Village.
