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2014 Agricola murder… Latent fingerprint was retrieved from slain housewife’s home – Detective
MURDERED: Donna Taylor
A latent fingerprint was retrieved from a wall of the home of Donna Taylor, the Agricola, East Bank Demerara housewife whose bound body was discovered at the back of her home with the throat slit and a piece of cloth wrapped around the neck.
This is according to Detective Police Lance Corporal Desmond Johnny who could not say if the fingerprints matched those of Abiola Jacobs, who is charged for killing the housewife.
The Detective was called to testify on Monday when the trial of Jacobs continued before Justice James Bovell-Drakes and a mixed 12-member jury. Jacobs, also known as Abby, 27, of Evans Phillips Park, East Bank Demerara has pleaded not guilty to the January 31, 2014 murder which occurred at 16-17 Public Road, Agricola.
The murder accused is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Adrian Thompson. State Counsel Lisa Cave and State Counsel Mandel Moore are appearing for the state.
At the High Court in Georgetown, Lance Corporal Johnny testified to being stationed at the Brickdam Police Station during January 2014.
Johnny, who is now stationed at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, told the court that while at the Brickdam Police Station, he performed duties of a crime scene examiner, photographer and fingerprint technician. The police witness recalled that on February 2, 2014 he visited 16-17 Public Road, Agricola, where he met other senior police ranks who gave him certain instructions.
According to Lance Corporal Johnny, “As a result I made checks on the upper flat of a two-storey wooden and concrete structure. I observed a light blue curtain to a door on the north-eastern bedroom and another curtain (white in colour) to the western bedroom. I also observed a yellow curtain to the entrance separating the living room and kitchen area.”
He said that he observed red spots which he suspected to be blood on the curtains which he photographed. He also said that he dusted the walls of the north-eastern bedroom for fingerprints and found a latent fingerprint which he uplifted and placed onto a crime scene card. The detective added that he caused one Bertram Taylor to sign as a witness on the card.
MURDER ACCUSED: Abiola Jacobs
Continuing his evidence in chief, the police witness recalled that he returned to the Brickdam Police Station where he initialed the curtains and placed each of them in self-sealing evidence bags before lodging them in the property room. The police witness recounted that he later visited CID Headquarters where he printed six colour photographs depicting the curtains he retrieved from the dead woman’s home. He said that the crime scene card with latent fingerprint was handed over to then-Superintendent of Police Ali for him to analyze.
The three self-sealing evidence bags each containing a curtain and six photographs depicting the curtains were tendered into evidence after the lawyer for the murder accused raised no objections.
The court was allowed the opportunity to see the curtains after Lance Corporal Johnny was instructed by the trial Judge to show the red spots suspected to be bloodstains using a marker.
Lance Corporal Johnny recounted that on February 3, 2014, he went to the East La Penitence Police Station, where he met Jacobs, who was in custody pending a murder probe. The court heard from the detective that he requested of Jacobs to take her fingerprints, and she agreed.
During cross examination by Thompson, the police witness was asked if the fingerprints retrieved from the home matched those of the murder accused. In response the witness said, “I can’t say”. When further questioned, the detective disclosed that he was not instructed to take fingerprints from a knife that was found at the crime scene.
This trial continues.
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