Testimony from a police forensic officer came under intense scrutiny Thursday as defence attorneys highlighted gaps in the investigation into the 2020 killing of senior Customs official Nigel Christian.
The officer, who was attached to the Forensic Evidence Recovery Unit at the time, was questioned during the ongoing trial of Saleim Harrigan, Wayne Thomas and Lasean Bully. The three men are accused of abducting Christian from his McKinnons home on July 10, 2020, before he was fatally shot later that day on a dirt road in Thibou’s.
During cross-examination, the witness acknowledged that the crime scene was processed at night using vehicle headlights and flashlights and confirmed that investigators did not return the following day to conduct a more detailed examination in daylight.
Defence lawyers also raised questions about potential evidence that was not analysed or collected. The officer told the court he had never seen photographs showing tyre tracks or a soda can at the scene and confirmed that neither tyre impressions nor shoe prints were examined.
Attention then shifted to Christian’s pickup truck, which prosecutors allege was used to transport him from his home to the location where his body was discovered. The vehicle underwent three separate forensic examinations in July 2020, but the officer confirmed it had been left in an open area between two of those inspections without being secured.
He further acknowledged that leaving the vehicle’s keys in a location accessible to others would compromise the integrity of the investigation.
Additional questioning revealed that several potential leads were not pursued, including documents found at Cassada Gardens and a vehicle connected to a driver linked to the case. The officer also confirmed that investigators did not examine a casino area where the accused are alleged to have changed clothing.
Inside Christian’s truck, a digital video recorder was recovered and handed to investigators, but the officer said he could not recall whether it was ever sent to the FBI for analysis. No gunshot residue testing was conducted inside the vehicle, and a can of Lysol found in the truck was not examined for fingerprints.
The court previously heard that several items recovered during the investigation — including a black hoodie, gloves and a hat — were later submitted as exhibits. The officer also confirmed that he transported several pieces of evidence to the FBI for forensic testing in March 2021.
Cross-examination of the witness is expected to continue when the trial resumes Friday.
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The defence teams distractions from the actual murder of the custom officer continues unabashed and unashamedly it seems …
My thoughts and prayers continue for the family and friends of the deceased 🙏🏾
I’m getting O J Simpson vibes with this seemingly unbalanced trial, where blame is placed on the conduct of the forensic techniques and police investigations. Not a good look.
Incompetent
WHAT THE HELL…! …OH LAWD! …ME GRANNY ELSIE!
MURDER SCENE PROCESSED UNDER ‘…SEARCHLIGHT AND VEHICLE LIGHT?’
***
FIRST QUESTION:
The ‘…QUESTION’ that shall first, and truly be asked is this:
‘…WHAT MONKEY INVESTIGATION WAS THIS?’
***
NOW: OTHER QUESTIONS
(ii) ‘…WHO HEADED THE POLICE SERVICE?
(iii) …WHO HEADED THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS DEPARTMENT (CID)?:
(iv) …ARE THEY A FORENSIC TEAM?: or
(v) …CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATORS?’
***
MORE DARN QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS
(vi) ‘…WHY WAS THE CRIME SCENE NOT PROPERLY PROTECTED OVER NIGHT:
(vii) …WHY WERE THERE NOT TWO-CORDONS: (a) ‘…AN INNER: (b) AN OUTER?
(viii) …WHY WERE THERE NOT FOLLOW-UP ‘…CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATIONS’ IMMEDIATELY AT SUNRISE?
(ix) …WHY WAS THE VEHICLE NOT WELL SECURED: COVERED AND MADE INACCESSIBLE TO OTHER POLICE PERSONNEL?’
***
OH LAWD! …SEEMINGLY VERY POOR INVESTIGATIVE LEADERSHIP
TOO MUCH TO BEAR: …LEAVE THIS RIGHT HERE.
***
CAN PROFESSIONALLY SAY: ‘…THIS IS ‘…VERY GOOD EVIDENCE’ FOR ANY ‘…DEFENCE.’
***
NOW: EVIDENTIALLY: PROFESSIONAL PROSECUTORIAL KNOWLEDGE
(a) ‘…WHERE THERE ARE ‘…REASONABLE DOUBTS,’ TRIAL JUDGES SHALL DIRECT JURIES:
(b) …THAT THEY SHALL RESOLVE ‘…ALL DOUBTS,’ IN FAVOR OF THE ACCUSED.’
***
BLUNTLY PUT, AND NO FAULT OF’… DPP CLEMENT JOSEPH,’ WHO SEEMINGLY HAD: been
(a) ‘…GIVEN A DARN ‘ PIG,’ NOT IN A BAG: but
(b) …A PIG, IN PORK.’
***
NOW:
WHERE IS THE REST OF THE PIG:- THE HEAD: …FEET: …LIGHT: AND …LIVER?
***
REFRESHER COURSES FOR ‘…FORENSIC OFFICERS.’
MOST EMBARRASSING, THESE ‘…FORENSIC OFFICERS,’ SHALL BE SENT IMMEDIATELY ON ‘…REFRESHER COURSES.’
***
WHAT THE HELL…!
***
WHAT THE HELL…! @BRIXTONIAN:
What if you had ‘…Criminal Investigations Training?’
***
LAST LINE:
Very good observations. Most troubling.’
HIGH-PROFILE CASES ALWAYS REQUIRE ‘…HIGH-PROFILED AND PROFESSIONALLY COMPETENT INVESTIGATORS.
***
QUESTION:
WHAT THE HELL WENT WRONG WITH THIS ABDUCTION/MURDER INVESTIGATION?
***
RIGHT AT ‘…ANR,’ A COMMENTARY ‘…COMING SOON.’
***
WHAT THE HELL…!
***
Of course the forensics will be questioned with this inept CID department, of course it will.
The defense will always hammer away at the slack work of these very lazy investigators who got their training from the scrap yard instead of the well renowned Scotland Yard.
Easiest way to beat a case in Antigua, duh!
The same thing will happen in the Chantel case, the Asot case, and many others that have gone unsolved in this tiny island paradise.
And by the way, there is no accountability for their terrible work..no one is getting fired, no one is getting demoted, in fact they keep getting ” Knighted” and awarded for their 50 years of dysfunction..what a ting a tell yah.lol.
If you want to make a killing as a defense lawyer, just come to Antigua to any young defense lawyers out there..your services will be well rewarded. 😂.
What a bunch of incompetents that are rampant throughout the leadership positions in Antigua.
Real jokers.
Nothing can get done right is this town, nothing!!!
Don’t blame the defense for pointing out obvious professional errors. Remember very few people (including the defense) know exactly what happened.
@Brixtonian
Your comments:
“The Defence teams distractions from the actual murder of the custom officer continues unabashed and unashamedly it seems.”
You are usually on point; but in this case you are way off.
The Defence Attorneys are doing the jobs they are hired to do. They Poke holes in the DDP presentations and legal theories; and create reasonable doubts.
It’s obvious from the article, and confirmed by Pompey’s exclamations, that CID failed on many levels.
This is not a simply “ Not a good look” situation; what we are seeing are failures at every level.
Should it amount to an OJ Simpson outcome, there are many avenues to pursue and answers to be obtained; including who ordered the hit on Nigel Christians life?
How did the Defence uniform end up in the hands of murderers?
What training and resources will be given to the CID; and how will they be held accountable?
I respect your forthright opinion @ Countryman Abroad 👍🏾
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