After almost two years of intermittent hearings, interrupted by court vacations, public holidays and juror absences, prosecutors in the Vindra Naipaul-Coolman murder trial have closed their case against the 11 men accused of the crime.
Lead prosecutor Israel Khan, SC, made the announcement in the Port-of-Spain High Court yesterday after presiding judge Malcom Holdip gave his ruling on a legal submission which was raised by defence attorneys after the State’s last witness — a forensic laboratory technician — completed her evidence almost two weeks ago.
Holdip told jurors to return to court on December 8 after setting a time-table for defence attorneys to file legal submissions in writing. The High Court proceeds on vacation on December 16.
Defence lawyers successfully petitioned the Legal Aid and Advisory Authority to receive higher fees for the duration of the trial, the lead attorney receiving $30,000 a month and their instructing attorney $15,000.
The normal fee is a maximum of $10,000 and $5,000, respectively for a murder trial.
Since the high-profile trial began in March last year, prosecutors have called almost 75 witnesses who included the former Xtra Foods chief executive’s relatives and co-workers and dozens of police officers who investigated her kidnapping and eventual murder.
Naipaul-Coolman was abducted from her home at Radix Road, Lange Park, Chaguanas, on December 19, 2006. A $122,000 ransom was paid by her family but she was not released and her body has never been found.
Prosecutors have contended that she was held captive at a house at Upper La Puerta, Diego Martin, for several days before she was shot dead, dismembered and her body disposed of.
They have presented circumstantial evidence found at the accused men’s homes and at the alleged murder scene in addition to an illegal firearm which ballistic experts linked to a spent shell found at the scene of Naipaul-Coolman’s kidnapping.
The State’s case is also centered around the testimony of its main witness, Keon Gloster, who initially claimed he was present when Naipaul-Coolman was killed but said he did not participate.
However, testifying earlier this year, Gloster repeatedly claimed he was coerced by police into implicating the accused men, most of whom are his relatives. His sworn statements which were certified by a justice of the peace have been tendered into evidence.
Who’s in court
The dozen men before the jury and Justice Malcolm Holdip are: Twin brothers Shervon and Devon Peters and their older brother Anthony Dwayne Gloster, siblings Keida and Jamille Garcia, brothers Marlon and Earl Trimmingham, Ronald Armstrong, Antonio Charles, Joel Fraser and Lyndon James.
A 13th man, Raphael Williams, was charged with the crime but died in prison in 2011 of complications from sickle-cell anaemia. Allan “Scanny” Martin was also on trial before he was shot dead by police after escaping from the Port-of-Spain State Prison in July.