Man to hang for killing Jamaican By AZARD ALI Friday, March 30 2007
Kelloy Koon Koon is led away yesterday after he was sentenced to death for the murder of a Jamaican. ...NEWSDAY’s story of a murder featured prominently in the San Fernando High Court which resulted in a man being held, tried and convicted for the crime. Kelloy Koon Koon, 23, of La Brea, was yesterday sentenced to death by Justice Devan Rampersad for the murder of Jamaican Mark Brown.
Koon Koon, of High Road, was charged with shooting Brown to death on February 1, 2003. The State led evidence that Koon Koon met Brown in the United States and became friends.
Brown came to Trinidad for the Carnival and had stayed at Koon Koon’s home in La Brea.
Senior State Attorney Tricia Hudlin, called 22 witnesses, one of whom was present during the killing – Kennis Neptune. He testified that he drove Koon Koon to Point Fortin where they picked up Brown.
Neptune told Justice Rampersad and a jury of 12 members that he drove to San Fernando, then to Debe to purchase doubles.
The witness testified that Koon Koon asked him to drive to the M2 Ring Road where he pulled to the side of the road. Leaving Koon Koon seated in the front seat and Brown in back, Neptune told the court that he went into the bushes to urinate. He told the court that he heard two gun shots.
Brown’s body was found with two gun shot wounds to the neck. Pieces of doubles were found close to the body. Testifying on the witness box, Koon Koon denied he killed Brown, saying that he first learned about his friend’s death when he read it in the Newsday. The report on the murder, the accused said, appealed to the public to identify the Jamaican at the San Fernando mortuary.
Inspector Cecil Santana who investigated the murder, testified that he began to probe the crime when Koon Koon identified Brown’s body. The charge was laid by Insp Sudesh Singh.
Under cross-examination, State Attorney Hudlin asked Koon Koon, “So you only knew about Brown’s death when you read it in the Newsday.” Koon Koon replied, “Yes.” Hudlin said, “So thank God for Newsday,” to which the accused replied, “Yes, thank God for Newsday.” Attorney Mewalal Chatoor, instructed by Rekha Ramjit, defended Koon Koon.
After deliberating for two hours, the jury found Koon Koon guilty as charge.
Story sounds incomplete, here is more of it from the Trinidad Express...fills in some of the blanks:
Witness: I did not plot to kill victim
Keino Swamber South Bureau
Friday, March 9th 2007
THE State's main witness in a murder trial yesterday denied a suggestion by a defence attorney that he was involved in a plot to kill a man four years ago.
Under cross examination by attorney-at-law Mewahlal Chatoor, PH taxi-driver Kennis Neptune said he was taken by surprise when Mark Brown, 22, was shot while sitting in his (Neptune's) car on February 1, 2003.
"I did not know of any plan to kill Mark," Neptune said.
On trial for murder is 26-year-old La Brea labourer, Kelloyd Koon Koon. The trial is being heard before Justice Devan Rampersad and a 12-member jury in the San Fernando Second Assize Court.
The shooting allegedly occurred on the M-2 Ring Road in Debe, while Brown, a Jamaican, and Koon Koon (both known to Neptune) were allegedly in the car driven by Neptune, who testified that he had gotten out of the vehicle to urinate when he heard two loud explosions.
He said he turned around and saw Koon Koon, a labourer of High Road, La Brea, standing by the back left door where Brown was sitting.
Neptune, of La Brea, said he observed Brown bleeding from his neck and was ordered by Koon Koon to drive into a gravel road where he (Koon Koon) dragged Brown, his friend, out of the car and left him at the side of the road. Brown's body was found the following day by two farmers on the way to their garden.
In answer to State attorney Tricia Hudlin-Cooper, Neptune said he was warned by Koon Koon not to speak to anyone about what he saw.
"He told me if I talk I know what will happen. At that point I was feeling frightened and threatened," Neptune said.
The court heard that Neptune went to the La Brea Police Post on February 11, 2003, where he spoke with a police officer and was taken to the Homicide Office in San Fernando.
Neptune said he took the police to several areas, including where his car was parked when Brown was shot and the area where he was left at the side of the road.
"I did not go to the police before because I was afraid for my life," Neptune said in answer to Hudlin-Cooper.
Neptune told the court he was contacted by one of Koon Koon's friends on February 2, 2003, who assisted him "in buying and changing the bloodied back seat in the car."
Neptune is expected to continue testifying when the trial resumes today.
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Obama/Biden 2012 - We need people who actually think in charge, though they should learn to lead!
There is a photo of the accused and now convicted.
KELLOY Koon Koon was sentenced to death yesterday for the murder of his "good friend" Mark Brown, whom he shot twice in the neck shortly after Brown bought doubles for them to eat.
Brown was shot while eating his doubles in the back seat of a PH taxi hired by Koon Koon on February 1, 2003.
The 12-member jury took an hour and 15 minutes to find Koon Koon guilty of murdering 22-year-old Brown, a Jamaican, at the M-2 Ring Road, Debe.
The evidence was led, on behalf of the State, by attorney Tricia Hudlin-Cooper.
In the Second Assize Court, San Fernando, Justice Devan Rampersad ordered that Koon Koon suffer death by hanging on a day to the appointed by the President.
He was the second killer to receive the death penalty this week in the San Fernando Assizes.
On Tuesday Andrew Kanhai, 32, was sentenced to death for beating and strangling watchman Israel Mohammed, who was attacked while in his garden at Guayaguayare Road, Guayaguayare.
Koon Koon's relatives, including his mother Yvette who testified on his behalf, broke down in tears when the verdict was announced.
Koon Koon, 26, of High Road, La Brea, displayed no emotion.
Following the shooting, Brown was dragged out of the car by Koon Koon and left at the side of the road where he was found the following morning by two farmers on their way to their garden.
Kennis Neptune, the driver of the car in which Brown and Koon Koon were travelling, was the State's main witness.
He testified that he was hired by Koon Koon, his school friend, on the morning of February 1, 2003, to go to San Fernando.
Neptune said he was again hired by Koon Koon later that day and was directed to go to Point D'or Junction where they picked up someone he knew as "Mark" who was living at Koon Koon's home.
He was then directed by Koon Koon to drive along the M-2 Ring Road.
Neptune said he stopped the car and came out to urinate at the side of the road and turned around when he heard two loud explosions. Neptune told the court that he saw Koon Koon standing by the back left door where Brown was sitting.
The court heard from Neptune that he saw a gun in Koon Koon's lap following the incident and he was directed to drive to Pleasantville where he (Koon Koon) enlisted the help of one of his friends to wash the blood off the back seat.
In his defence, Koon Koon, who denied being in Neptune's car when Brown was shot, said he had no reason to kill or harm his friend in any way and that he was traumatised by Brown's death.
Koon Koon, who was represented by attorney-at-law Mewahlal Chatoor, instructed by attorney Rekha Ramjit, told the court he treated Brown as his brother and that his mother treated Brown as her son.
He said he met Brown in August, 2000, while they were both living in New York. He said Brown had come to Trinidad on vacation and was staying at his (Koon Koon's) home for about three months prior to his death.
"The relationship with him was very good," Koon Koon said.
"We had no arguments. No fights. No bad blood."
Koon Koon testified that he first learned of the killing through a newspaper article on February 6, 2003. He said the article was brought to his attention by his girlfriend's mother and he decided to go and identify the body, which at that time, was unidentified.
He told the court that he broke down in tears at the sight of his friend lying on a stretcher in the morgue at the San Fernando General Hospital.
Edited by shaggybear (03/30/0704:42 PM)
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Obama/Biden 2012 - We need people who actually think in charge, though they should learn to lead!
There is a photo of the accused and now convicted.
