Suspect charged in double homicide

This afternoon the Magistrate’s Court was packed to capacity as twenty-five year old Selwyn Grey, a butcher of Kelly Street was formally charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the double homicide of brothers Vincent “Big Boy” Jones and Fredrick “BiBi” Neal last month. The prosecution told Magistrate Dorothy Flowers they believe Grey may flee if granted bail since he has a U.S. green card and has parents who live in the United States. The prosecution also pointed out that the defendant appeared before the Magistrate’s Court just last December to face charges of attempted murder, a charge the police prosecutor says Grey still has to answer. In response, Grey’s attorney Sharon Pitts told Flowers her client has a medical report indicating that he was tortured while in police custody. Pitts also claimed the defendant was detained for more than the seventy-two hour time limit set out in the constitution. Pitts further added that during his detention, her client was neither released nor taken to court. The attorney also added that Grey did show up for his previous case and is not guilty. Pitts then asked the court to set a date for a preliminary inquiry where the matter can proceed. After listening to both sides, Magistrate Flowers then said based on the points raised by the prosecution, she could not grant bail to Selwyn Grey and therefore remanded him to Hattieville prison until February twelfth. But instead of leaving the courtroom, the defendant was then escorted over to courtroom number one before Chief Magistrate Herbert Lord. There, the police made a formal request to take Grey’s fingerprints for further scientific forensic testing. Inspector Galvez explained to the court that they had lifted fingerprints from the red Chrysler car in which Neal and Jones had been killed on January twenty third. According to Galvez, their investigation led them to look for Selwyn Grey and after he was detained and fingerprints taken there appeared to be a match with those lifted from the crime scene. Therefore, they are asking the court’s permission to have ex-police officer George Heusner take further fingerprints to verify these results. Chief Magistrate Lord asked Grey if he objected to the police taking fresh fingerprints and Grey said no. Lord then signed the application ordering the police to proceed. Grey was escorted back to the police station and was later transferred to the Hattieville Prison. During this afternoon’s proceedings in court, things got heated when the mother of one of the deceased and one of Grey’s relatives got into an argument. Both were locked down inside the court’s jail to cool down and were released at five this evening. But it was not only family members who had to be addressed, the media also got a tongue lashing from Chief Magistrate Lord who took issue with a radio report this afternoon that stated he had to adjourn Grey’s matter this morning because he could not make up his mind. Lord sternly told the press that he did not see Grey that morning and in fact the first time he saw the defendant was when he appeared in court this afternoon. Lord then told the court that he was informed the reporter filed the story based on a tip without verifying the information. Lord warned the media present to be careful and check all reports before they are aired or else the media house in question could be held in contempt of court.