Investigator: McLean led cops to 6-y-o's body
Published:Tuesday | February 6, 2018 | 12:00 AMLivern Barrett/Senior Gleaner Writer
A retired police investigator has testified that accused killer Michael McLean, with his attorney present, voluntarily led detectives to the shallow grave where the body of a six-year-old girl, one of six people he is alleged to have killed, was found.
Carlos Bell, a former detective inspector, was giving evidence yesterday during McLean's murder trial in the Home Circuit Court after a pathologist revealed that the six-year-old, Jihad McCool, died of "asphyxia as a result of smothering".
"This means that hands were placed on the nose and mouth and pressed for two to three minutes," Dr S. N. Prasad Kadiyala explained.
McLean is on trial for killing Jihad; her mother, Patrice Martin-McCool; and siblings, Lloyd McCool and Sean Chin, along with his girlfriend, Terry-Ann Mohammed and her son, Jessie O'Gilvie, in St Thomas in 2006.
Jihad's body was found in a wooded area in St Mary one week after the bodies of the other victims were found along Prospect Beach in St Thomas on February 26, 2006 with their throats slashed.
PATHOLOGY REPORT
Former government consultant pathologist, Dr Ere Seshaiah, found in his post mortem report, that all five died "as a result of sharp force injury to the neck".
"After receiving the injuries to their necks, did any of the victims have a chance to put up a fight?" prosecutor Hodine Williams asked as he led Dr Kadiyala through his evidence.
"It is most unlikely that any of the victims put up any fight before they were killed," the pathologist replied.
'I need to take you to where the little girl is buried'
Carlos Bell, a former detective inspector, testified that the day before that six-year-old Jihad McCool's body was found, he got word from a police corporal based at the Remand Centre located on South Camp Road in Kingston where McLean was being held.
As a result, he said he journeyed from St Thomas to speak with McLean and made arrangements for him to give a statement to investigators.
Bell testified that McLean, with his two attorneys present, was in the process of dictating a statement at CIB headquarters in Kingston the following day when he called a halt to the proceedings.
"Mr McLean said, 'Stop here, I need to take you to where the little girl is buried'," the senior investigator said.
He said McLean was placed in the lead car in a convoy of four police vehicles and directed cops to what looked like "a cow pasture".
Bell said after two officers checked the area and found nothing, McLean went over to a spot he pointed out to police and said "right here".
"When the body was discovered, where was Mr Pearson [one of McLean's attorney]?" asked lead prosecutor Paula Llewellyn, who led the investigator through his evidence.
"He was right there," Bell replied.