Shocked jurors yesterday viewed bloody pictures of murder victim Aaron Glen Easton after he suffered multiple stab wounds following his brutal murder 18 years ago.

Stanford Glenfield Archibald, 38, formerly of Somerset, is accused of the murder, which took place on May 4, 1985, and prosecutor Kulendra Ratneser said that concrete block pieces used in the crime contains DNA evidence of the accused.

In the opening day of the trial in Supreme Court the pictures were shown during evidence given by former Police officer Ernest McCreight, who was a photographer for the Scenes of Crimes Unit at the time of the murder. Mr. Ratneser, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), said in his opening statement to the six woman, six man jury that the murder of 19-year-old Mr. Easton was one of the most cruel and vicious ever seen on the Island.

"It was a bloody murder," Mr. Ratneser said.

The DPP said medical evidence showed that the deceased had been stabbed 49 times and beaten with a concrete block which was found broken into pieces near his head.

The fragments of the block had evidence of blood and hair and the blood samples were later found to belong to both the victim and the accused.

Mr. Ratneser said blood was splattered and smeared in the kitchen, bathroom and on the walls. Mr. Easton's body was found in a pool of blood in the driveway of the Talbot apartment complex on Laffan Street in Pembroke.

Mr. Ratneser told the jury that the case would be judged purely on circumstantial evidence and that the case had to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

"The victim was stabbed 49 times until he fell to his feet and then he was hit with a concrete block, which weighed 30 pounds," said Mr. Ratneser.

Jurors heard that on the night of May 3, Mr. Easton and Troy (Yankee Boy) Rawlins, who were friends and roommates, had gone out and returned at about 9 p.m. Later, while Mr. Rawlins was getting ready to go out to a reggae session, he heard a knock on the door. But when he went to the door no one answered.

He then returned to the bathroom and looked out the window, where he saw a person walking towards a blue car.

Mr. Rawlins told Police that he had left a bag in the apartment with about $14,000 in mixed currencies, marijuana, cocaine, scales and plastic bags.

Derrek Dill, from Cedar Hill, Warwick, claimed that he was the driver of the blue car, which had given Archibald a lift to the apartment. Mr. Dill had told Police that Archibald had asked him to take him to the Bermuda Athletic Association (BAA) on Woodlands Road, Pembroke.

But when they arrived, Archibald asked Mr. Dill to turn onto Canal Road and then directed Mr. Dill to the apartments on Laffan Street.

Mr. Dill told Police that Archibald then got out of the car, went to the apartment and returned shortly after. Mr. Dill then dropped Archibald off on the corner of Court and Angle streets in Hamilton.

Next-door neighbour Robert Herd, who returned from work at 9.30 p.m., said he thought he heard people fighting in the adjacent apartment.

Mr. Ratneser said Mr. Herd thought he heard someone shouting "where is it, where is it" and they were followed by screams and shuffling.

Mr. Herd then went to his kitchen window, which was about 30 feet away, where he saw two men in the apartment.

One was being beaten with a crash helmet and was trying to defend himself.

Mr. Herd said the deceased then fell to the ground on his face and then the noise stopped.

Lawyers Mark Pettingill and Larry Mussenden are representing Archibald. Representing the Crown is Mr. Ratneser, who is being assisted by Crown counsels Juan Wolffe and Cindy Clarke. The trial continues today before Acting Chief Justice Norma Wade-Miller.