The cop charged for the murder of a Brown’s town market vendor in July last year is to go back before the St Ann Circuit Court this month.Constable Ricketto Graham, 26-years-old of Gayle in St Mary, is charged for the murder of Christopher Hill of Treadlight in Clarendon. Hill, a farmer and food vendor in the Brown’s Town market stayed in the town most weeks from Thursday through Sunday to do his business.Graham who is on bail is represented by attorney at law Oswest Senior Smith and appeared before Justice Marjorie Cole Smith in the St. Ann Circuit Court last Wednesday, January 29.The court is awaiting a statement from the police officer who retrieved text messages reportedly exchanged between Graham and another cop who has since the incident turned a witness for the prosecution.Constable Graham $600,000 bail has been extended.Hill, died two days after he was allegedly shot and wounded by the police constable under controversial circumstances on July 12 last year in Brown’s Town. Constable Graham was charged with murder following a ruling from the Director of Public Prosecution Paula Llewellyn.
PERVERTING JUSTICE
The constable is also facing a charge of perverting the course of justice after he reportedly made a false statement about the shooting. That case is in the St Ann’s Bay RM Court and was called up on Wednesday, January 29 but was also put off until February 28.
It is being claimed that on the Friday morning July 12 about 5 o’clock, Hill left his home early to go to market and was apparently intercepted by cops and taken to the station. He was later shot on the roadway and his body dumped. Sometime that morning he was found near Brown’s Town and he was taken to the St Ann’s Bay hospital where he died, but not before saying what had happened when he had been shot and left for dead.Constable Graham’s case went straight to the St Ann Circuit court last, November 25, when a Voluntary Bill was entered when it was called up at the St Ann’s Bay RM Court.Under bail extended at the time, Graham is to report to the police in St. Ann’s Bay twice weekly.Constable Graham was charged with murder and attempting to pervert the course of justice following a ruling from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Paula Llewellyn.The perverting the course of justice charge arose from the same matter after the cop reportedly made a false statement about the shooting. Another cop with whom Constable Graham was reportedly working on the morning when Hill was shot is expected to be the Crown witness.Police claimed that when Hill was shot, a knife was recovered and that he had been shot after refusing a police order to stop and not advance on them.It is however reported that before Hill died, while at hospital he told the police and his mother what happened. Hill allegedly told his mother that he was shot and his body dumped allegedly by police. The Independent Commission of Investigations, INDECOM said civilians as well as police gave conflicting reports on the details of what happened on July 12.
