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Tesha Miller Trial | ‘Mi no come here fi tell lie’ - Witness rejects suggestion that he made up his story

Published:Wednesday | November 20, 2019 | 12:49 AMNickoy Wilson/Gleaner Writer

The prosecution’s star witness has rejected suggestions by a defence attorney that he lied in his sworn testimony against Tesha Miller, who is accused of ordering the 2008 murder of then chairman of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company, Douglas Chambers.

The witness, a self-proclaimed ex-member of the Spanish Town-based Clansman gang, was responding to suggestions by attorney-at-law Bert Samuels, who is representing Miller.

Samuels, who continued cross-examining the witness yesterday, suggested that he took more than a year to complete his statement because he was “making up his story”.

However, the witness, who is serving a prison sentence for murder and attempted arson, did not agree.

“If I was making up this story, you would hear a lot more,” he said.

“Mi nuh come here fi tell lie. Everything in the statement is true. If me did come fi tell lie pon Mr Miller, me woulda come tell say him kill people. So me no haffi tell no lie,” he added.

Last week, the witness named Miller as the head of the Clansman Gang.

In the witness statement to the police, however, Samuels suggested that a man named ‘Blingers’ was identified as the gang leader.

The witness sought to explain.

“Blingers is a part of the system. At the time that I give the statement, Blingers was a part of the system. The system is Clansman Gang. All of us is one … go down as one,” he told the court.

Later in the proceedings, Samuels suggested that the witness said in his statement that the last time he saw Tesha Miller was some time in 2013 driving a red Honda CR-V.

“I answer that question yesterday (Monday). I tell you, if you see him, I see him,” the witness said.

The attorney also suggested that the witness and ‘Blackman’ became friends while behind bars, but the former gang member said, “Miller and Blackman kill off 13 of my family. Me and them a nuh friend.”

The witness had previously told the court that Miller had instructed Blackman – real name André Bryan – to carry out Chambers’ killing.

In 2016, Bryan, who was charged with Douglas’ murder, was freed.

Miller is on trial at the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston for accessory before and after the fact to Chambers’ murder.

The trial continues tomorrow.

nickoy.wilson@gleanerjm.com