First murder trial without jury in session

The first murder trial without jury kicked off today before Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin. Twenty-two year old Nicolai Rhys, the son of a police corporal, is accused of murdering reputed gangster, Andre Trapp on the morning of June tenth, 2010. After Trapp was killed; a green vehicle was seen speeding away and Special Constable Charles Usher subsequently discovered Rhys hiding in a yard at a nearby alley.  Usher and other officers approached Rhys and after he was questioned, admitted to committing the crime.  The D.P.P. will call up to eleven witnesses to testify. The first to take the stand was Scene of Crime Technician, Brian Lopez, who testified that when he arrived at the scene, he saw what appeared to be expended bullet casings inside a green Ford Ranger pickup. Douglas Langford, a former school mate of Trapp, spoke to Trapp just minutes before he was murdered. He said that after having a brief conversation, Trapp walked to his Chevy Suburban.  That’s when about three to four gunshots were heard; Trapp ran towards Regent Street and collapsed as he reached the pavement in front of the Magistrate’s Court. Langford testified that an officer fired a shot at a Ford ranger pickup fleeing the scene, but he maintained that he did not see the shooter. Before day one of the trial ended, as many as three other witnesses took the stand. The tial continues on Wednesday.