'Foul stench at Kartel home'

Sheldon Williams, Gleaner Writer

The investigating officer in the Vybz Kartel murder case testified yesterday that on August 22, 2011, when he went to Kartel's Havendale house, he smelled a strong disinfectant "like Fabuloso".

Deputy Superintendent of Police Vernal Thompson, in charge of crime investigations for the St Andrew North division, made the disclosure during his testimony.

He said he inspected the house and noticed that the entire interior of the house was burnt out. He said he smelled a foul odour coming from a room.

When asked by defence lawyer Tom Tavares-Finson how he could have smelled a foul odour in the presence of what he described earlier as Fabuloso, he replied: "The foul odour was a stench like that of a dead animal."

I use fabuloso

Tavares-Finson questioned the witness' ability to expertly identify the earlier scent as Fabuloso.

But the witness said he was familiar with it, "because I use it in my kitchen".

He testified that while there, he observed certain things.

"The rooms appeared to be ransacked with items of clothing thrown all across the room. I also noticed that there were several photographs of dancehall artistes to include Shawn Storm, Vybz Kartel and Gaza Slim and many others who I did not personally know before," he said.

Thompson said Kartel and his co-accused were taken into custody between September and December 2011. He said he questioned them but they refused to answer.

Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, has been on trial in the Home Circuit Court since November last year for the murder of Clive 'Lizard' Williams.

He is jointly charged with entertainer Shawn Campbell, also called 'Shawn Storm', Kahira Jones, Shane Williams and André St John, also called 'Madsus'.

The Crown, represented by prosecutors Jeremy Taylor and Leighton Morris, is alleging that Williams was beaten to death at Kartel's house in Havendale, St Andrew, over two missing guns.