Jessroy McKelly murder trial starts after four years

-as witness comes clean with evidence of ‘Bingy’s murder

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Friend of alleged murderer Jessroy McKelly (above) and victim Kareem Sebastian was witness in chief yesterday Friday March 21, 2014 as McKelly faces trial. Photo: VINO/File

ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - As the legal system of the Virgin Islands kick starts the process to ensure that justice is served in the matter of the murder of Kareem Sebastian aka Bingy, a man who took four years to make up his mind to give a statement to the investigators of his knowledge of the incident, was among the first to give testimony in the High Court yesterday March 21, 2014.

Jessroy McKelly is the man charged with the murder and despite issues in an attempt to get the trial started on Thursday March 20, 2014, it got off the ground yesterday with him listening to one who said he was a close friend of McKelly, Razis Simon, belching out information he had knew of an alleged plot to murder Sebastian.

The witness in chief was also a close friend of the victim and while being grilled by Senior Crown Counsel Valston Graham, confessed that because of the guilt he felt from his knowledge about who had done the shooting, he could not bear to visit him – not even once – during the several months he was suffering in the hospital.

He also told the court that at that time he did not go to the police either about the information he allegedly had about what took place because he did want to put his other friend McKelly in trouble.

Sebastian died on May 2, 2009 from multiple gunshot wounds which he sustained on August 24, 2008 and Simon under oath told the court that McKelly hinted to him his intentions to murder Sebastian saying that he was going to ‘Throw in’ Bingy and had shown him the weapon he had intended to use which he described as a black gun.

He told the court that his reason for wanting to shoot the victim was because he frequently “Run him down with a gun”.

According to witness Simon there was no delay by McKelly as he (McKelly) headed to where Sebastian was, through the Ghut, and in less than half an hour he heard several gun shots ringing out. He told the court that McKelly had told him to listen out for the shots.

He told the court that as he was heading to the house his worse fear was confirmed by one “Dunky” who was shouting, "They shoot Bingy".

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