Case Against Juror in Kartel Murder Trial Still Not Complete 8 Years Later
Nearly a decade after he was charged with perverting the course of justice in 2014 during the Clive “Lizard” Williams murder trial, the case against accused juror Livingston Cain has still not been completed.
During the highly publicised murder trial against Vybz Kartel and his three co-accused for the murder of Williams, it was alleged that Cain attempted to sway the verdict in the suspects’ favour. According to the prosecution, Cain tried to bribe a fellow juror with $500, 000 to deliver a not-guilty verdict.
Reports from the Jamaica Observer state that Judge Maxine Ellis expressed in Cain’s most recent court hearing her desire to have the matter completed by December 13 in order not to have yet another anniversary of Cain’s initial arrest.
Noting what she regarded as irregularities in the prosecution’s case, Cain’s attorney, Valerie Neita Robertson, questioned why the case against her client was not dismissed. It is Robertson’s belief that her client was framed because he believed the accused were innocent and shared his point of view with the other jurors.
Robertson called into question the evidence brought forward by the female juror, whom Cain allegedly attempted to bribe, stating that the recording of the pair’s conversation was not clear and included the juror’s own interpretation of the discussion. The attorney went on to question the credibility of the prosecution’s witness and noted the absence of the juror’s friend during the trial, with whom she said she shared the recording.
Robertson also appeared dumbfounded by the inadequate recording of the chain of custody regarding the female juror’s cell phone, a key piece of evidence that was not made available during the case.
“Not one prosecution witnesses could assist the court by saying who gave her the phone and why they gave her back, and she couldn’t say which police officer gave her. All of those are issues which erode the credibility of the Crown’s case,” Robertson stated.
