By Tahna Weston
The defence has requested the court order which the police obtained to take oral swabs and hair samples from murder accused Berle “Junior” Wallace Jr.
Wallace Jr is on trial for the March 2022 murder of 36-year-old personal trainer Christopher Smithers.
Smithers was stabbed to death during an altercation with Wallace outside Pita Pocket Restaurant on Popeshead and St John’s Streets.
Constable Latisha Browne, who is pursuing her Master’s (MSc) degree in Forensic Investigation in the UK at Cranfield University as a 2024 Chevening Scholar, testified virtually about the role she played during the murder investigations, including taking oral swabs and hair samples from Wallace.
Browne, who was attached to the Forensic Evidence Recovery Unit and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Sociology, had obtained a court order in order to get the samples, which was done on March 7, 2022 while Wallace was already on remand at His Majesty’s Prison.
Defence attorney Wendel Alexander questioned Browne about the court order, which she did not mention in her evidence in chief and a copy of which was not in the deposition and which he has never seen.
The witness told the court that the document was at the Forensic Evidence Recovery Unit on file and she is not sure why the defence was not given a copy.
Alexander questioned why the samples were not taken from his client while being detained initially at the station which is the norm. Browne responded by saying that the intervention of the court was sought because Wallace refused to give samples willingly.
The attorney also queried why Wallace’s legal representative at that time was not informed about plans to take the samples since he had been in custody for several days. It was revealed that those samples are still at the office of the Evidence Recovery Unit as they have not been sent overseas for analysis.
Another concern raised by Alexander was the fact that Browne removed the orange and white handled knife from Smithers’ body and she was the one who advised a senior officer that she should do it.
The attorney also highlighted that while the police documented injuries to the body of the deceased, nothing was documented about his client. Browne said she had not seen Wallace until March 7 when she saw him at the prison so she could not say whether he had injuries.
The officer was also unable to verify whether photos taken during the course of the investigation had been lost. She told the court that yesterday was the first time she was hearing of it after Alexander made mention of it.
Browne was one of several officers who visited the crime scene to gather evidence and conduct investigations on that fateful day.
The trial resumes on Monday before Justice Ann-Marie Smith while Rhylis Adams is prosecuting the case.
