Eight more witnesses testify in murder trial

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Murder-accused Kareem Richards
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By Makeida Antonio

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More witnesses took the stand yesterday in the trial against Kareem Richards who is accused of stabbing a man to death more than four years ago.

In February 2018, Richards allegedly used a sharp object to stab Ogwambi “Ahijah” Marshall of Christian Valley several times during a scuffle which resulted in his death.

Reports are that the two men shared the same address at the time and the scuffle erupted from a fight over insulting remarks.

Marshall’s sister, Sashalita Jones, was the first witness to take the stand on Monday.

Jones told the court that Richards was like family to them, but he and her brother got into an argument at a party her mom was having in Golden Grove.

She also said that the argument started when a lady made a complaint to Marshall at the event.

The trial resumed yesterday with several witnesses giving their account of events prior to, during and after the incident.

The witnesses’ testimonies were similar as they recounted their knowledge about the victim and where they were during the incident, and a few were asked to recall witness statements given to police over four years ago.

Most recounted the relationship they observed between Richards and Marshall until his unfortunate demise.

Others told the court of their role in the events following the stabbing incident.

Collectively, the witnesses painted a picture of a group of friends, including Marshall, who were chilling at a bar on a Saturday afternoon.

One witness told the court that they, along with Marshall and a mutual friend, were smoking when Richards passed them without acknowledging or greeting them.

Moments later, Richards confronted the three individuals and accused them of making homophobic slurs against him.

However, one of the individuals told Richards not to ask any questions because he did not greet them when he entered the vicinity.

Richards then left the presence of the group.

After that, the witness called Marshall’s sister informing her that there was a vehicle outside of her and her brother’s home.

The witness went on to describe what they saw during the stabbing incident which, according to them, “happened so fast”.

They claimed Richards approached Marshall from the back, grabbed him by his shirt collar and stabbed him in the back of his neck. They also said the accused continued to stab Marshall about the body as the scuffle between the two men continued down some steps.

Other witnesses corroborated the witness’ recollection of seeing two stab wounds to the abdomen and one stab wound to the back after rushing to Marshall’s side as he laid in the front yard after Richards ran off.

One of the witnesses was Marshall’s mother, Joycelyn Marshall, who indicated that she had known Richards since 2016 and he was a close friend of her son.

After two witnesses provided testimony regarding the evidence collected during investigations, Justice Colin Williams adjourned the matter until today.

Richards is represented by Attorney Michael Archibald who will continue to cross-examine the witnesses.

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