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Accused bathed in Clorox on night of shooting, court hears

Murder accused Kevin Warner was seen bathing with Clorox bleach and vinegar the evening after Dekimo “Purple” Martin was killed, Supreme Court heard.Mr Warner, of Warwick Park Road, Warwick, is charged with the premeditated murder of 24-year-old Mr Martin, and carrying a firearm used to commit an indictable offence.He is represented by defence lawyers Kim Hollis QC and Elizabeth Christopher and has denied both charges.Charlita Campbell told the court Mr Warner arrived at her home at 7.30pm on May 28 last year.She said he asked her if she knew about a shooting that happened in the early morning hours of that day and told her: “They think I killed him.”“I did respond; I said, ‘Who is they? Who thinks that you killed him?’ And he said the people that was at the residence.“I asked him ‘Why would they think you killed him?’ He responded by saying because he was the last one to see [Mr Martin] alive.”Ms Campbell told the court Mr Warner was crying and appeared to be hurting after losing his “best friend”.She said the defendant stated he was at Mr Martin’s Somerset home the morning he was shot “smoking a cigarette or a spliff” and “passing it back and forth”.“He said there was some type of get together going on at the house. Everybody he knew went inside and he left and he went to his brother’s house [before the shooting occurred].”The court heard Mr Warner made a few phone calls and then went to get a bath and had planned to turn himself in to police.But Ms Campbell said she entered the bathroom and noticed “he wasn’t using soap” and was instead “pouring the vinegar on his skin”.“I also noticed that there was a bottle of Clorox [bleach] to his right without a top on,” she said.Ms Campbell told the court Mr Warner had asked her to “lie for him” and tell police he had been at her house the time of the murder.“I told him, ‘If you was at your brother’s house why doesn’t your brother give you an alibi?’ He said he didn’t want to bring the heat to his brother’s house because he has drugs, money and guns on his property.”Ms Hollis asked Ms Campbell why she hadn’t mentioned to police that Mr Warner had poured “corrosive materials” on himself until August.The lawyer claimed Ms Campbell was telling “untruths and embellishments” to distance herself from what happened.Ms Campbell said she told police at the first opportunity after getting advice from a lawyer. She also said she was giving evidence in the trial so Mr Martin’s family “could have closure”.The case continues this afternoon before Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves.