Judge to rule on no-case submission in White Water murder trial

Justice Dawn Gregory is set to rule today on a no-case submission made by the defence for Mark Thompson, accused of murdering his cousin in 2008 at White Water Village, North West District.

Defence counsel Peter Hugh made the no-case application after Justice Gregory did not admit the application that was made by state prosecutors, Renita Singh and Diana Kaulesar, to allow the deposition evidence of the eyewitnesses, who are the parents of the deceased and who are not present to testify, at the trial at the High Court.

Mark Thompson
Mark Thompson

Thompson is on trial for the murder of his cousin Romel Williams, which occurred in January 2008.

According to the prosecution’s case, Williams, his wife and his parents were returning home from church, when they encountered Patrick Daniels, Thompson’s father in-law, fighting with Riley Dass, who is Williams’ nephew.

Williams tried to part the fight and Daniels cuffed him. As a result, Williams retaliated by cuffing Daniels, which the prosecution says caused Thompson to intervene.

It is alleged that Thompson, who had a knife in his possession, stabbed Williams in his hand. After being stabbed, Williams ran and fell, but the accused allegedly ran behind him and stabbed him in the centre of his chest before running away in the bushes.

Thompson had also admitted in his statement to the police that he stabbed Williams.

“I went to talk to Romel and he start to fight with me and I fight back he.

Then the other brother bank me and me tek a knife from me right side pants pocket and fire two juk to he chest and pon he hand,” he said in the statement.