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Murder accused acted 'differently' on night of shooting, court told

A close friend of murder accused Kevin Warner said he was acting differently than normal the night Dekimo “Purple” Martin was shot, the Supreme Court heard.During questioning Chelsy Lewis said she and her friend of four years Mr Warner would usually “exchange hugs” and “joke around” when they saw each other. But on the night of May 27 she said he didn't give her a hug and appeared “distant”. She told the court: “Normally we would both joke and exchange jokes but I was the only one joking and he was not laughing.”Mr Warner, 21, is charged with the premeditated murder of Mr Martin on May 28 last year. The resident of Warwick Park Road in Warwick is also charged with carrying a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence on the same date.Miss Lewis said the defendant was a “frequent visitor” to her home, sometimes between one and three times a week, and admitted he would occasionally sleep over.She said he was friends with 24-year-old Mr Martin, who is her cousin, but denied they were best friends when asked by defence lawyer Kim Hollis QC.She also denied that the two men had lived together several years ago and said: “That wasn't a house that they were living in. It was basically like a little club house ... a little hang out like a pump room, an abandoned place.“It wasn't just them that were there, it was a few people. It was just friends that would just go into and chill in this place and sometimes they would sleep there. I wouldn't say they were living there.”According to Miss Lewis, who lived with Mr Martin in their family home on Peacock Crescent in Sandys, she was watching a movie around 10.30pm when Mr Warner first arrived at the house.After 20 to 30 minutes of talking with her friend and cousin outside, she came in the house to help her mother with her seven-month-old son.She told the court she was sitting in the living room and could hear the two men speaking outside, but couldn't hear what they were saying.Her father Robin Lewis eventually came inside and moments later they heard three gunshots fired one after the other. Miss Lewis tried to call her cousin's cell phone, but there was no answer, she said.Her mother Jan Martin also told the court yesterday that Mr Warner was acting different that night.She said: “I expected him to speak in his normal jolly way. Every time we would see him he would make a fuss but he didn't do that.“That night he had an awkward look on his face. I looked over to [my husband] Robin and said ‘what's wrong with him?'“I had this feeling like the way he looked it was like he was guilty of something and had done something to me and it really puzzled me.”Ms Hollis asked why Ms Martin didn't say anything to the defendant about his unusual behaviour that day.“If the relationship was that type of relationship when he didn't greet you in the normal way or had that guilty look why didn't you take him to task about it?”Ms Martin replied: “Because I didn't”.She also denied that she had only thought about those details after the shooting and added: “I am very intuitive and pick up on things”.The case continues before Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves.

'Accused acting differently', court hears

Shooting victim Dekimo (Purple) Martin “was hiding from something” and didn't want people to know where he lived before his death, Supreme Court heard.

The victim's sister Danielle Martin gave evidence yesterday in the trial of Kevin Warner charged with Mr Martin's premeditated murder on May 28 last year. Mr Warner, 21, is also charged with carrying a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence on the same date. He has denied both charges in the trial, which began on Monday.

Ms Martin told the court yesterday her brother had come to live at her home on Peacock Crescent in Somerset nearly a week before he was gunned down outside the property.

Defence lawyer Kim Hollis QC claimed Mr Martin had asked to move in after getting himself “into a bind”. “That is the word he used and he asked if it would be OK if he could stay for a while,” the lawyer suggested.  

Ms Martin agreed and told the court she didn't know what kind of 'bind' her brother had gotten himself into. She also admitted Mr Martin, 24, didn't want people to know his whereabouts.  

“The reason that you know he didn't want people to know where he was living was because his girlfriend had brought some friends up to see him that weekend,” said Ms Hollis.

“Yes. As far as I knew he was upset about that.  Because he didn't want people to know where he was. He was hiding from something or someone wasn't he?,” the lawyer asked. According to Ms Martin's testimony, on the night the of the shooting she had turned off the TV and gotten into bed around 10pm.

A few minutes later she heard a knock on the door from family friend Mr Warner, who said “Hey Dani. Sorry to disturb you. Where's Purp?”

She said she recognised the voice as the defendant's, but told him her brother wasn't there. She remembered he was wearing a white T-shirt and black “pleather-like” jacket.

Ms Martin told the court: “I was awakened by gun shots later on. I heard three gun shots coming from outside under my porch. I jumped up and then ran outside. I looked to my left and didn't see anything, but when I looked to my right I saw someone running up Butterfield Lane.”

Behind tears she said the suspect was wearing a black jacket and white T-shirt. He was about 5ft 2in and of medium build and matched Mr Warner's description, Ms Martin said.

She told the court she could see the suspect using an outside light from a nearby house, approximately 75 feet away.

But it was too dark for her to see her brother wounded on the stairs nearby after all the light bulbs had been removed, the court heard. “I heard my brother. He must have been gasping or moaning but I didn't know where he was because I couldn't see him. It was too dark.”

The case continues today before Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves.