Guilty verdict

Dominica : A nine-member jury has found David St. Jean guilty of murdering Clement “Johnson” James –  a 53 year old man of Good Hope.

In an unsworn statement given by the accused last week ,St. Jean told the court that he was walking on the Indian River Bridge about 3:30pm on Monday 20th September, 2010 when he observed  James on the opposite side of the bridge “staring at me in a sexual manner while holding his crotch and licking his lips”.

St. Jean claimed that he walked across the bridge to warn the deceased when a scuffle ensued between them.

The accused claimed that he was defending himself.

Attorney for the accused Bernadette Lambert in her address to the jury suggested that there were various inconsistencies in statements given by the Prosecution’s star witness.

She urged the jury to question whether the story given by that witness was really true.

Additionally, Lambert declared that her client was acting in a manner of self defense and had no intention to kill James.

“No intention, no murder!” she emphasised.

The attorney also stated that St Jean was not the only one responsible for the death of the deceased and indicated to the jury that the deceased remained at the scene and hospital for a significant amount of time without receiving the medical attention that he required for his survival.

However her arguments did not appear to convince the  members of the jury who returned with a guilty verdict after deliberating for two hours.

Martin James – the brother of Clement James who was also a state witness welcomed the verdict.

“The judgment was correct. I believe that it was done correctly; my brother did not deserve what happened to him and what took place today, I am very pleased of the Lord first and also to the jury; those who sat and listened and I am very happy that they said guilty”.

He also indicated that young people should respect the lifestyle of others.

“Young people suppose to really look at themselves as other people have life and they need to respect people. They need to realize that they are people just like them and my conviction is not yours and these are the things that we really need to take close note of,”Martin said.

“Young men and young women ought to realize that there’s life, he is not a goat, that’s a man so we need to respect people,” he added.

The judge ordered that a pre-sentencing report be done for both the victim and the accused by 18th June 2012.

Sentencing was adjourned to 22 June, 2012.