A senior detective with 34 years of service in the Jamaica Constabulary Force provided startling testimony Monday in the high-profile trial of 25 alleged Klansman Gang members, revealing that a 2017 murder investigation remained without identified suspects for years despite multiple eyewitness accounts.
The ongoing trial in the Home Circuit Division of the Supreme Court in downtown Kingston centers on the murder of George Richards, who was killed in September 2017 on Roger Avenue in St. Catherine. Defendants Dwayne Frater and Lamar Rowe face charges under count seven of the indictment for “facilitating the commission of a serious offence by a criminal organisation” pursuant to Section 6 of Jamaica’s anti-gang legislation.
The detective inspector, who supervised the murder investigation team, testified that despite commencing investigations immediately after the crime, he “did not identify any suspects” in the case until the present day. This admission aligns with the Crown’s earlier statement that without two key witnesses—former gang members who have pleaded guilty and are currently serving sentences—the majority of the 16 crimes attributed to the alleged Tesha Miller faction would have remained unsolved.
Under cross-examination by defense attorney Kemar Robinson, the veteran officer acknowledged identifying “more than one” possible eyewitness but maintained his position regarding suspects. The testimony grew contentious when Robinson suggested the detective was being untruthful about not identifying potential suspects, prompting the officer to “disagree vehemently.”
The courtroom proceedings took an unexpected turn when the detective, referencing a pair of flip-flops found at the crime scene, struggled to identify them in photographs due to a recent eye injury sustained on Valentine’s Day, which provoked amusement among observers.
Earlier testimony from a forensic crime scene investigator detailed the chain of custody for evidence collected from the murder scene, including 13 spent shells, a vehicle with bullet holes, bloodstains, and projectiles removed from the victim’s body during post-mortem examination. The evidence was meticulously documented, packaged, and transported to government forensic laboratories for analysis.
The trial of the 25 accused represents the second faction of the Klansman Gang to face justice, addressing 16 alleged offenses committed between August 2017 and November 2022. Proceedings are scheduled to continue Tuesday morning at 10:00 am.