At the beginning of his testimony, convict Steve Stewart stated that he was testifying by free will and not because of a threat or bribe. He said he came to “testify because I am convicted for an offense I did not commit and I want the court to know the truth about what happened.”
He too is from the parish of St Ann and says he has known Alexander for “about two years” before August 2011 and that they “associated a lot”.
He claims that prior to the night of August 23 he had told Alexander that he needed to get an attorney for a case he had before the St Ann Parish Court. That case was later discarded.
He went on further to say Alexander then responded by saying he will help him and directed him to “just follow mi”.
Fast forward to the fateful day; Stewart claims he was at a nearby bar when Alexander came along. He said they both started to drink and smoke. According to Stewart they then left and went to a gas station. From there, they both took a taxi and they got off “at the last entrance of Queen’s Crescent.” They then “went around on a back road and went to a seaside and began to catch fish”. A discussion was held between both men and Alexander allegedly told Stewart that fishing was not their reason for being at the particular location.
They then walked on a ‘back road’ which he said led to the entrance of the couple’s home. Stewart told the court that he knew the house because he had worked and lived there with the couple for approximately “eight months to a year”. He also said that he was no longer living there because of some issues which arose from the sale of a necklace belonging to Mr Hall.
He said Alexander “stopped” him when they arrived at the gate. He then questioned their reason for being there. He said that was when Alexander said to him “a them mi come fah”. According to Stewart, he knew the Halls and thought “something was going to go wrong” and for this reason he told Alexander that “it’s not going to work”. Upon approaching the gate, Alexander allegedly gave Stewart a knife and showed him a “toy game gun” which he had.
He claims that after expressing his disapproval, Alexander then said “how you a move like you a informa suh, yuh waa mi lef yuh dung yah,” this, Stewart referred to as a “threat in parables” meaning if he didn’t do as was instructed, he (Alexander) would have killed him (Stewart). Stewart claims he repeated it was not going to work but he was later convinced by Alexander. They then “went into some bushes at the left side of the house and realized nobody was at home because the vehicles weren’t parked there.”
Mrs Hall Drove a Rav-4 while Mr Hall drove a van.
Stewart says after making his observation he then informed Alexander who “decided to wait on the next side of the yard at the fence about 30ft from the garage”.
He says at about 9 pm while in the bushes, the Rav-4 drove up and he could see that it was being driven by Mrs Hall. He says Alexander then told him to “hold on to the lady” but he told him (Alexander) to “leave her and wait until the man come”. He told the court that “deep within I still didn’t make up my mind to do anything so I told him to wait.”
MR HALL ARRIVES
Stewart also told the court that Alexander continued to “act aggressive and seh mi a move like fool.”
Further allegations state that Mrs Hall then went inside the house. After that both men went to hide behind a swimming pool. It was from that location that they observed Mr Hall’s vehicle approaching the gate at about minutes after 10. Mr Hall then came out of the van to pull the gate of the garage. Stewart says Alexander, who was wearing a mask “run down on him and juck him wid the plastic gun”. According to Stewart he was still hiding behind the pool at this time. Alexander then signaled him to “come in”. He then put on his mask, which Alexander gave to him, and went over to where Alexander was holding Mr Hall.
He added that a struggle ensued between Alexander and Mr Hall during which Mr Hall managed to remove Alexander’s mask.
Stewart claims that after entering the house, Alexander handed two additional knives to him. These knives were on a table inside. He also said he held all three knives by their blades and not by their handles. This he said he did because he could not have held them by the handle and he had “no intention of hurting anybody”.
INSIDE THE HOUSE
Alexander proceeded down “a passage way, holding Mr Hall in front”. Stewart remained at the back.
Mr Hall called out his wife’s name and that was when Mrs Hall opened the door of their bedroom. Stewart says Alexander then pushed Mr Hall into the room. By this Mrs Hall was also pushed back into the room. The Couple put up no resistance to Alexander who proceeded to bind their hands.
Stewart said after tying their hands Alexander spoke to Mrs Hall. He said he did not hear what was said, however, Mrs Hall responded by telling Alexander to follow her.
Alexander and Mrs Hall then left the room.
SELF DEFENSE
Stewart said he was not paying “much attention to Mr Hall” and he “got loose and held on to the handle of the knife. He was unable to say whether or not it was one or all three knives that he held on to. “He started to pull the knives and because I was holding the blade it was cutting my hand, I had to let go,” he said. He said he was stabbed several times over the body by Mr Hall. He then ran outside, “I didn’t fight back. I just wanted to get out of the house”. He then ran outside and sat by a “gas tank” to the side of the house.
HOW THE HALLS ENDED UP DEAD
While on the outside Stewart says he saw Alexander coming from the house with Mrs Hall. He says Alexander was tightening a long sleeved shirt around her neck and she was making attempts to loosen it.
He said, he was walking over to Alexander to tell him that he was stabbed, when Mrs Hall fell to the ground.
After telling Alexander, he (Alexander) ask “weh him (Mr Hall) deh?”
Stewart responded by telling Alexander he (Mr Hall) was in the house. Alexander went back inside.
Stewart said he was “bleeding a lot” and was feeling weak. He also said he heard a banging sound in the house. He then saw Alexander walking from the house holding Mr Hall by the collar. From his observation, Mr Hall appeared to be “walking like he didn’t have much strength”. Alexander brought him near to where Stewart was and strangled him.
Alexander then questioned Stewart, “you ago mek mi kill the two a them?”
Stewart claims he was still dizzy and feeling tired after trying to get away from Mr Hall.
Alexander then said “mek wi do wah wi come fi do and leave here suh”. He then went back into the house and Stewart said he heard some “banging sounds inside”.
Alexander came back outside and asked Stewart to assist him to put “the bodies inside”. Stewart said the Halls were motionless at that time.
He says he told Alexander he “didn’t have the strength to” help him and that his hands were cut. Alexander then drove the Rav-4 near to where the bodies were and moved them to the vehicle. Stewart says he eventually heeded to Alexander and “help him lif up the foot and put them in the trunk”.
GETTING RID OF THE BODIES
According to Stewart he told Alexander he needed to go to the hospital.
Alexander drove the said vehicle to a gas station in Discovery and handed a bank card and a strip of paper with four digits to Stewart. He told Stewart to “draw some money” and informed him that he did not know how to “use them thing deh (the ATM)”.
Stewart did as was instructed. He withdrew $5,000 and handed the card to Alexander. He says he didn’t know who the card belonged to.
He says he was bleeding a lot and his clothes were “soaked with blood”. He also says Stewart handed him some clothes which he changed into. The bloody clothes were discarded further up the road.
Alexander then drove to an area called Lake Side Park which Stewart says is a “bushy area where there is a lake and a pump house”. “We both came out (of the Rav4), Jowayne pulled the bodies out of the car and he was asking for my assistance to pull them to the pond. I told him that I wanted to go to the hospital and I couldn’t help him because I was in pain at that time. He pulled the lady out first, about 10ft away from the car and pulled the man away about 10 ft from the vehicle in the opposite direction. I told him I wanted to go to the hospital and he drove back from Lake Side Park and he left me at the bus stop at the St Ann’s Bay Hospital and said he was going to Mobay to sell the car,” Stewart told the court.
He added that Alexander then drove back towards the Discovery Bay direction.
STEWART SAYS HE’S INNOCENT
He says he was treated at the hospital and released. He then went back the bar where he met Alexander on the day of the 23rd and from there, went to his mother’s home in another St Ann district. He said he then heard on the news that he was wanted in connection to the murders and immediately turned himself in to the Runaway Bay police.
