McDonald, co-accused to return to court Jan 9

The murder trial involving Portland businessman Everton ‘Beachy Stout’ McDonald has been adjourned until January 9 next year.

McDonald, 68, and his co-accused, 33-year-old St Mary fisherman Oscar Barnes, are currently on trial for the murder of McDonald’s 32-year-old wife, Tonia.

Denvalyn ‘Bubbla’ Minott, who is currently serving 19 years in prison for his role in the murder, testified that McDonald had contracted him in 2020 to kill his wife for a fee of $3 million, but that he subcontracted the job to Barnes.

The woman’s partially burnt body was found with the throat slashed in her car which was set ablaze along a deserted road in Sherwood Forest in Portland on July 20, 2020.

McDonald had reportedly accused his wife of being unfaithful and had also obtained pictures of her in a compromising position and on a date with her alleged lover, a former employee had testified.

That former employee, who claimed he was the businessman’s right hand, also testified that McDonald told him that he was going to disfigure his wife’s face with acid and had sent him to purchase the substance.

Another witness, who is also serving time, also testified that he was hired by McDonald to harm Tonia with the corrosive substance, which he had in a glass bottle but opted not to carry out the act as Tonia was too beautiful.

On Monday, a toxicology report indicating that a substance found in McDonald’s office was sulphuric acid was admitted into evidence.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the lead investigator conceded that he had erred after he was asked whether he had lied about signing a statement about a glass bottle with a corrosive substance.

The officer, under cross-examination by one of McDonald’s lawyers, John Jacobs, said he had signed a statement which was recorded from another investigator on the team.

However, after looking at the statement and realising that his signature was not present, he said he had made an error.

The officer, who said he was shown the bottle and the statement, further testified that he was shown the bottle on September 18, 2020, and insisted that the date was correct.

However, another police witness had earlier in the trial testified that it was on August 18, 2020, that he showed the bottle to the lead investigator.

Asked if he recalled being shown a bottle on August 18, he said he could not recall.

Jacobs then suggested that none of the statements given by that police witness were recorded at any police station and the lead investigator strongly disagreed, saying, “That’s not true.”

He, however, quickly walked back his testimony after he was shown the document and saw that it was recorded at the policeman’s home.

He then told the court that he was present at the man’s home and had observed the statement.

At the same time, he said he did not see the glass bottle when he was observing the statement.

The lead investigator further explained that he was present for the entire time of the recording of the statement, except for the completion.

When asked by Jacobs why he had signed, saying he had observed the recording and the policeman’s signing of the document, he testified that he was present and that the officer had completed the statement and had read it over to him and he signed.

Further in the cross-examination, the lead investigator admitted that several of the police officers in the case had recorded their statements. He, however, denied that it was a common practice for the policemen to record their statements.

Jacobs then asked him if he was aware that all the other police witnesses in the case had recorded their own statement except for the officer who had recorded the statement at his home, and the officer said he would have to look back at the statements.

Attorney-at-law Earl Hamilton leads the team of five lawyers representing McDonald, including Jon-Paul Hamilton, Christopher Townsend, and Courtney Rowe.

Barnes is represented by Ernest Davis and Vincent Wellesley.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com