Three items of clothing seized during the investigation into Kellon Hill's murder tested positive for blood and two of them allegedly belonged to defendant Kellan Lewis.

That Supreme Court evidence came as witnesses described two house searches conducted in the aftermath of the death of Mr. Hill, 18, who was stabbed and beaten as he left a party at Elbow Beach. Five teenagers stand charged with murder and possessing various weapons charges they deny.

Prosecutors alleged when opening the case that Kellan Lewis, 17, and Gary Hollis, 16, snatched a gold chain from around Mr. Hill's neck as he left the party in the early hours of Sunday, August 10 last year.

A fight ensued, and Kevin Warner, 19, Devon Hairston, 18, and a girl, Zharrin Simmons, 17, are alleged to have joined the other two in striking Mr. Hill.

Next, Lewis is alleged to have removed a knife from his pants and stabbed the victim around his chest and body, before Simmons stuck Mr. Hill with a screwdriver. The court heard Mr. Hill stayed on his feet and tried to get away but was struck with a walking cane by Warner who used so much force that it broke.

During evidence yesterday morning, Detective Sergeant Dennis Astwood told the court he was present when a search warrant was executed at Gary Hollis' house in Butterfield Lane, Sandys, at 5.25 a.m. on Sunday, August 10.

Hollis was not at home. According to his mother Nicole Hollis, he was at Lewis' home in Peacock Crescent, Sandys. Police officers were executing a separate search warrant at that address. Hollis' home was searched, and a few minutes after that, Det. Sgt. Astwood arrived at Lewis' house.

He and a colleague accompanied Hollis, who had been arrested there on suspicion of murder, to Somerset Police Station.

When Hollis arrived at the Police station, his clothes were seized. According to Police Constable Shanell Astwood, who was also present at the search of Lewis' house, Lewis himself was also arrested there on suspicion of murder. She explained that when Lewis and Hollis were escorted to Lewis' bedroom during the search, Lewis pointed to a pair of blue Levi jeans in response to an inquiry about what he was wearing on the night in question.

He said in response to another question that he'd not been in contact with blood in the last 24 hours. Asked about a stain on the yellow T-shirt he was wearing, Lewis told the Police he did not know what it was. The T-shirt was seized, along with various other clothing items, at his home. At 11 p.m. that same day, Det. Sgt. Astwood attended when a search warrant was executed at Simmons' home in Deepdale Road East, Pembroke, and she was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Simmons told Police that the clothes she'd worn on the night in question were at her grandmother's home in Farmstead Lane, Sandys. She was transported to Hamilton Police Station where she consented to a DNA swab being taken from her.

She was then taken to her grandmother's home where the Police seized a number of clothing items. She was later taken to Southside Police station.

The jury heard yesterday afternoon from Desiree Spriggs, a Government analyst, who attended both house searches to look for the presence of blood.

Dr. Spriggs said that subsequent "presumptive" tests for blood came back positive for three clothing items.

The first was the blue Levi jeans, which the jury had heard were identified by Lewis as being the ones he'd worn on the night in question.

The second was the yellow T-shirt with the stain on it that Lewis was wearing during the search of his house. The third was a red T-shirt seized from a suspect at Southside Police station but Dr. Spriggs did not state who that suspect was.

She explained that a presumptive test can indicate blood, but not show whether it is human or animal blood. Items that tested positive were passed on for DNA profiling by other scientists. In answer to questions from defence lawyer John Perry QC, who represents Lewis, Dr. Spriggs agreed that on August 12 she did a presumptive test on a reddish-brown stain found on the rear passenger window of a Mitsubishi taxi cab.

This came back positive for blood, as did another test she did on a pair of grey three-quarter-length denim trousers.

She did not explain the origin of the grey trousers.

The case continues.