Gripping and violent details, about how a couple was brutally murdered in their home in St Ann, were stated in the St Ann Circuit court last week before a jury deliberated for less than thirty minutes to return a guilty verdict against one of two men charged for murder.
Jowayne Alexander of Discovery Bay is the man found guilty. He denied that he had anything to do with the deaths of Normalyn and Neville Hall, in August 2011. He told the court that the main witness against him, 25-year-old Steve Stewart, had been set up to lie against him. Stewart had the previous week been sentenced to life imprisonment for his part in the murders. He still claims he did not kill either of the Halls.
The Times brings you two reports, one is the detailed testimony of the main witness, Stewart – ‘Cold and awful murder’.
The trial into the case of the 2011 murder of a couple in Discovery Bay, St Ann, began in the St Ann Circuit Court on Monday, February 27, and lasted three days. The presiding judge in the trial of this case was high court judge Justice Georgiana Fraser.
The prosecution was represented by deputy director of public prosecution, Maxine Jackson and crown counsel Maxine McPherson.
The man on trial was Jowayne Alexander of Discovery Bay. Another man, Steve Stewart, was initially charged with murder, along with Alexander. He however pleaded guilty to his charge about a week earlier on Tuesday, February 21, in the said court. Details of this were published in the previous issue of the North Coast Times (Vol. 22#9, March 1-7). Stewart was also the main witness against Alexander in the matter.
Alexander was charged with an indictment containing two counts. The first one charged him with the offense of murdering Norma-Lyn Hall, a senior lecturer at the Brown’s Town Community College.
The other indictment charges him for the murder of her husband, Neville Hall, a trucker, contracted to Noranda Bauxite. Both were killed at their home in Discovery Bay on the night of August 23, 2011 at around 11.
Alexander pleaded not guilty to both charges and a seven -member jury was empanelled for the trial.
It was established on previous court dates that the common design of the men was to rob the couple.
TESTIMONY OF THE MAIN WITNESS
Steve Stewart otherwise known as Head Top, who was convicted and is serving time, was the first witness called to the stand to testify. Stewart was sentenced to life in prison. He will not be eligible for parole for another 17 years. (see Cold And Awful Murder, p. )
After hearing his name on the radio that he was wanted, Stewart turned himself in to police. He was engaged in a question and answer session in the presence of an attorney.
In court Stewart also said he knew he was not guilty of the murder and that he had pleaded guilty because he was instructed to do so by his attorney. He said he complied because he was told that the evidence against him was overwhelming.
During the cross examination by Alexander’s attorney, Nathan Geddies-Morrison, it was revealed that by this Stewart meant that his blood was all over the crime scene.
It was also revealed by Stewart that he and Alexander have “made moves before”. Stewart told the court that he and Alexander have gone to do petty stealing “but nothing like big robbery or murder, just petty stealing,” he said.
He also said that the Halls treated him like more than an employee and “more like a son”.
He said he has no benefits from testifying and that he just wanted everyone to know the truth. “I am already convicted, I cannot choose my sentence, the court has decided that and I am only here today to tell the truth,” he said.
OTHER WITNESSES
Detective Sgt. M Stoddard was the second witness called up to the stand.
He was one of the several officers who reported to the home of the couple after receiving certain information.
He said that upon arrival he noticed that there were droplets of blood at the entrance of the house and in the car port. He also noted that the house was securely locked and pieces of what appeared to be a broken toy gun were found at the car port. He says after looking through a window of what appeared to be a bedroom, he noticed blood on the floor and the walls of the room, which was ransacked. He also said a mask made of fabric, and some knives were recovered from the premises.
Days later he served a copy of Stewart’s caution statement on Alexander who was taken into custody. It is believed that Alexander read the statement and under caution exclaimed, “afta the !@#$%^&*# Head Top (Stewart) carry mi go a Neville yard and the people dem dead, him a gwaan like him nuh know wah happen, an a mi drive Neville wife jeep an carry the bwoy guh let him off a the bus stop fi guh St Ann’s Bay Hospital an save the bwoy life, him waah come push everything pan mi, mi want mi lawyer.”
A statement was read for another witness who worked as a handyman for the couple for 15 years. He said on the morning of the 24th he went to the home of the couple because arrangements were made for him to be there early that morning to do some work. He said when he arrived at the house he noticed the door was ajar and traces of blood around the yard. He also made note of Mr Hall’s billfold lying in the garage. After looking through the window of the said bedroom and making certain observations he attempted to contact Mr Hall via cell phone and got no answer. He then left and informed Mrs Hall’s sister about what he had seen at the house.
The Statement of Mrs Hall’s sister was the next piece of evidence given in court.
In her statement she says the couple had taken in Stewart to live at their home. She also said that after receiving certain information from the previous witness she was also unable to get in contact with the couple.
Days later she identified the bodies to be that of her sister and brother-in-law.
Another officer detective inspector Hamilton, in charge of criminal investigations in St Ann came to the stand to testify.
He made similar observations of the couple’s premises and ordered the investigations into the matter.
The Rav-4 was recovered in Montego Bay by another officer whose statement was used for the crown’s evidence.
Evidence was taken from other officers who were involved in the investigation into the couple’s murder. All the evidence from these officers was similar to each other’s and matched the story of the main witness.
CAUSE OF DEATH
The post mortem report states that Mrs Hall had died as a result of injuries received which are consistent with strangulation. Mr Hall, however, died from one or both of two possible causes, blunt force injury to the head and or heart attack.
THE SWORN TESTIMONY OF THE ACCUSED
Alexander gave his statement from the witness box on the date before the trial ended. He denied having had any involvement in the murder and even said he didn’t know Stewart and had only seen him a few times. He says the police and all the other witnesses had conspired against him.
He said he doesn’t know why Stewart or the police would want to tell lies on him and “the police dem a tell lies pan mi an a the police dem mek him (Steve) a tell lie pan mi because dem see seh mi nuh look too right inna mi head. A dem tell him fi tell lie pan mi because them tell mi seh if mi nuh turn crown witness pan him, dem ago mek him turn crown witness pan me,” he said. He denied all the details of Stewart’s testimony and also that of the police.
THE VIRDICT
On Thursday, March 2, Mrs Justice Fraser did the summation of the case. The jury was then escorted to an area to consider the case. Within less than thirty minutes of leaving the court room the jury returned and a verdict of guilty was handed down for both charges.
Alexander is to be sentenced in the Home Circuit Court in Kingston on Thursday, March 16.
