Prosecutor, court witness face off in Shineka Gray murder trial

There were heated exchanges in the St James Circuit Court today between the prosecution and a court-summoned witness in the trial of Gregory Roberts, the man accused of the 2017 murder of schoolgirl Shineka Gray, regarding her former association with the defendant.

The witness, the mother of Roberts' ex-girlfriend, told defence attorney Leroy Equiano in her evidence-in-chief that she knew the accused as a good man and that, despite the occasional differences he had with her daughter, she never saw him as capable of violence even when he started sending text messages and making phone calls to both of them.

But, in putting questions to the witness, prosecutor Andrea Martin-Swaby invoked the woman's ire by pointedly asking about how Roberts related to the witness and another visitor at her house on the night of January 29, 2017, the night of Gray's death.

“When you gave your statement to the police, you never mentioned any problem between [other visitor] and Gregory…in fact, you never mentioned there was any friction between them,” Martin-Swaby suggested to the witness.

“I never personally saw them quarrel,” the witness replied.

“You never open your eyes and see nothing between the two of them?” Martin-Swaby asked.

“[Visitor] would say little things about Gregory,” the witness stated.

“You are making an inference?” Martin-Swaby accused the witness.

“Were you there?” the witness shot back.

“Would you say you have a good relationship with Gregory?” Martin-Swaby asked moments later.

“I did say it's an on-and-off relationship,” the witness said impatiently.

“Is it a good relationship? Are you going to answer?” Martin-Swaby pressed, to which the witness gave only stony silence.

The court also heard an unsworn statement from Roberts, in which he claimed that his former co-defendant, Mario Morrison, contacted him for his services as a taxi operator.

The court also heard from the defence team's first witness who spoke of how he and Roberts interacted while they were at the Freeport Police Station lock-up in Montego Bay.

The trial will continue with the defence's second witness on Monday.

- Christopher Thomas

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