Murder at Haslington: Witnesses say victim had argued with accused

The trial of Les Charles Critchlow for the 2016 murder of his brother-in-law Terrence Adams commenced yesterday morning before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry and a jury at the High Court in Georgetown.

In her opening address to the jury, Prosecutor Tiffini Lyken said that on the night of May 12th, 2016 Critchlow went into Adams’ shop at Hasling-ton, East Coast Demerara and stabbed him in what she described as an “unprovoked and vicious” attack.

Testifying yesterday was brother of the deceased Leyland Nelson who recalled Adams having a conversation with the accused earlier on the day in question about money which he (Critchlow) owed to Adams.

Also testifying was Critchlow’s daughter-in-law Shellon Marks who told the court that earlier in the day she heard the two men arguing over work which she said Adams upbraided Critchlow for not doing.

She said that Adams and her mother-in-law are siblings and that he was upbraiding Critchlow for not doing obvious work which needed to be done around his sister’s yard such as effecting repairs to the fence.

Marks said that her father-in-law had become incensed over Adams’ admonition and had made remarks that “all who ain’t get respect fuh me, gon get respect fuh me from tonight.”

The woman said that she would later that evening see Critchlow angrily leaving the yard with a knife in the back of his pants waist.

Her mother-in-law Janice Nelson also took the stand and corroborated Marks’ account of seeing Critchlow storming out of the home with a knife stashed in the waist of his pants.

Janice said that given certain remarks Critchlow had earlier made regarding her brother, she told Marks to place a call to him (Adams) informing him to be safe, as Critchlow had left the yard with a knife.

In her testimony Marks said that she did try to make the call but was unsuccessful as the Digicel network was down at the time.

Both women said that they would later learn that Adams had been stabbed and succumbed to his injuries.

The trial continues tomorrow afternoon at 1.