Murder-accused Vernon Simons told detectives he spent the day in question working, running errands, eating and sleeping.

Supreme Court heard yesterday of a Police statement and interview Simons gave after Matthew Clarke was stabbed and bludgeoned to death in his own bed in North Shore Road, Pembroke.

Simons, 24, stands accused of the murder along with Shannon Tucker, 32, and Kyle Sousa, 18. All three deny the charge.

Mr. Clarke was found dead in his bed by his girlfriend and the mother of his two children, Charlitta Spencer, shortly after 3 p.m. on Wednesday April 9 2008. He had suffered more than 20 stab wounds to his neck and chest and had been hit in the head with a metal bar at least nine times.

Opening the prosecution case last Thursday, Director of Public Prosecutions Rory Field told the jury at least two of the accused had inflicted the fatal injuries.

Mr. Field also alleged that Tucker's blue truck was seen in Mr. Clarke's driveway before the murder and the trio had travelled to the house together. He claimed that after the killing, Simons and Sousa dropped a bag with the metal bar into a pond, showered and disposed of their clothes.

Simons worked as a construction labourer for Tucker, of Southampton. Mr. Clarke also worked for Tucker prior to his death. Sousa, of Warwick, may not have known the victim.

A written witness statement was taken from Simons between 6.20 p.m and 7.50 p.m on the day Mr. Clarke was killed. Simons had arrived at Hamilton Police Station that evening to answer bail on a different matter.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Christopher said he met Simons in the interview room. When he asked Simons if he knew why they were there, and if he knew about the stabbing that afternoon, Simons shook his head from side to side in the negative.

The written statement subsequently taken from Simons was read to the jury by a court clerk. In it, he told the Police he lived with his uncle, Ronald Simons, in North Street and worked for Tucker's company ST Maintenance and Construction.

Simons said he woke between 9 a.m. and 9.30 am that day and Tucker came to his house and picked him up in his blue truck. They picked up tools from a work container near Ascot's guest house then drove back to his house in North Street.

Simons said they reached his house around 10 a.m., then Tucker dropped him at VL's store on Court Street to get credit for his phone. Then they went back his house to paint the truck to get it ready for TCD that week.

The accused man went on to tell Police that after he finished work on the truck, he accompanied Tucker into town. He dropped an envelope at the Housing Corporation for Tucker, while the latter drove around and came back to pick him up. He estimated that this was "early afternoon."

Simons said after this, they drove to C-Mart and he got himself a beer and some food. Then Tucker dropped him home between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. and left in his truck.

"I don't know where he went," he told the Police, explaining that he went to sleep after Tucker left and woke up on time to make his way to Hamilton Police Station to make his bail, leaving home around 5.15 p.m.

Asked about the murder victim he replied; "I do not know Matthew Clarke. I know a lot of people by face. I know a lot of Matthews."

Det. Sgt. Christopher told the jury Simons was arrested on suspicion of murder at his home on Sunday April 13, and his response was: "Yeah, alright."

The jury was played the first of four taped Police interviews conducted with him over the course of Sunday April 13 and Monday April 14. In it, Simons gave a similar account of his movements on the day of the murder, but adding some additional information.

He told the Police Tucker was supposed to be answering bail around 3 p.m. on the afternoon in question, and "he said he was making three" before he left North Street. He said he believed his uncle, Ronald Simons, took Tucker to Hamilton Police Station.

Simons also said that after Tucker and his uncle left, Sousa Ronald Simons' godson turned up to see him.

Another man named Matthew who he described as Sousa's other "godpa" arrived at the home when Ronald Simons returned.

Vernon Simons could not confirm Det. Sgt. Christopher's suggestion that this was Matthew Mills, explaining: "I'm not too good at names."

He told the Police he showered that afternoon "cause I stunk from work" but then fell asleep and did not know if Sousa showered. He added that he'd visited his girlfriend's house around 4.30 p.m before returning to North Street, then leaving again to make bail at the Police station.

Asked if he'd ever been to the house on North Shore Road where Mr. Clarke was murdered, Simons said he had been there early that year with Tucker. At the time, he said he only knew Mr. Clarke by face, not by name.

At the house, he said: "I sat off, smoked a spliff, that's it."

Asked about the relationship between Tucker and Mr. Clarke, Simons replied: " Yeah, they knew each other... reasonably well. You know what I mean. I don't think they had anything against each other... from what I gather, there weren't no vendetta between them. The guys are always criss, always cool, you know what I mean."

He denied being at Mr. Clarke's house on the date of the murder or driving Tucker's truck that day.

The jury also heard from Police Constable Samuel Brown, who arrested Tucker after he parked his truck at an address in Port Royal Gardens, Southampton, around 6.15 p.m on the date of the killing. When told he'd been arrested on suspicion of murder and cautioned, Tucker allegedly responded by asking: "Why I was (sic) not arrested at Hamilton Police Station at 3 p.m. when I was there?"

The case continues.