Since January 2018, for almost 3 years now, Police Constable Michelle Brown has been on remand for the high profile murder of 39-year-old Fareed Ahmad. Currently, she's standing trial before Justice Colin Williams, and Senior Crown Counsel Shanice Lovell has presented evidence in an attempt to convince the court that she shot and killed the well-known barber from Hattieville in the early morning hours of December 28th, 2017. But, WPC Brown has given sworn testimony in which she claims that another police officer killed Ahmad and that she was threatened to remain quiet about it.
Brown, who is being represented by attorneys Simeon Sampson and Anthony Sylvestre, was given an opportunity to make a defense against the charge, and she chose to give a statement from the dock.
She recounted that on that night, she was hitching a ride to Belmopan. She waited at the roundabout near the Central American Boulevard. That's where Ahmad passed by in his vehicle and offered to give her a ride. She accepted, and while they were on their way, Ahmad engaged her in a conversation about police procedure.
She says she attempted to exit Ahmad's vehicle in Hattieville, who allegedly insisted to continue driving her. He allegedly told her that he would make a U-turn up the road. During that process, Brown said that she heard one of the vehicle's back doors open, and she heard the sound of a firearm's safety being disengaged. She claims that a third person, whose voice she recognized as a police officer, enter the backseat.
Brown's testimony became emotional at this point, and she claims that the officer spoke up and said, quote, "Dah now den." End quote.
She claims that the officer pointed the firearm to the back of her head, and she heard the gun snapped twice. The officer allegedly then pointed it at Fareed's head and pulled the trigger. Ahmad allegedly grabbed this assailant's weapon, and that's when the vehicle accelerated. According to Brown, Ahmad let go of the steering wheel, and she grabbed it in an attempt to prevent a crash. Brown said that this supposed killer cop then jumped out of the vehicle after the shooting, and because everything happened so quickly, she only heard when the passenger door open.
She claims that after she was taken to the hospital, she received a visit from a civilian who threatened that if she said anything, her children would be beheaded.
She has identified this officer who allegedly murdered Ahmad, but Senior Crown Counsel Lovell challenged her testimony as a complete fabrication in an intense cross-examination.
And then in a dramatic twist, the prosecution called a surprise witness, Corporal Elmer Nah. This is the police officer who Brown is accusing shot Fareed.
Nah said that on that night, he went home to Coney Drive where he remained with his uncle, Senior Superintendent Marco Vidal for the rest of the night.
When asked if he had interacted with Brown on the night of Ahmad's death, Nah said the last time he saw Brown was 2 days earlier, on Christmas day.
When asked by Senior Counsel Simeon Sampson why would Brown accused him of shooting Ahmad, Corporal Nah said, "That statement she made,..I personally was lost."
The case continues tomorrow when the attorneys will be able to address the court about their legal perspectives on total evidence that has come out in this trial.
