Thursday was another enthralling day in the murder trial of Mitchel Toussaint of Bense who is accused of murdering his brother Alexis “Alex” Toussaint in November 2011 in a land dispute.
Day two commenced with the defense cross-examining Cassandra Toussaint who lives about 15 feet from the accused. She spoke of how she made several calls to the police.
Son of the deceased, 19-year-old Alex Toussaint, who was 15 at the time of the incident, also testified.
He recounted to the court how he was awakened just past 11:00 pm on the night of November 26, 2011 by his father who was speaking loudly. He stated that he was called by his mother who spoke to him. He said he then heard his father’s voice again. At that point, he said, he went to the kitchen, took a cutlass and left. He recounted that upon his arrival at his uncle’s home, he saw him chopping his father.
Under cross-examination, the teenager told the court that he took the cutlass because he “knew something was going to happen between my father and my uncle.”
He was challenged by defense counsel, Darius Jones, who told him that he was not being “fair and open to the court” but the young man responded,
“I am being fair and open.”
He said when he saw his uncle chopping his father, he turned around and saw his mother who took the cutlass from him.
“I was going to do something to him but I resisted,” he said.
Police corporal Mervin Andrew, who at the time of the incident was stationed at the Calibishie Police Station, also testified about receiving a call just past 1:00 am on November 26, 2011 and proceeded to Bense along with other police officers.
On arrival, he met a small crowd and among some of his observations was Alexis Toussaint lying on the ground with what appeared to be blood coming from various parts of his body.
He appeared to be in a lot of pain and distress, Andrew testified adding that he used a t-shirt to try to stop the bleeding.
“I spoke to him and he told me, ‘my brother Mitchel that chopped me with a cutlass,’” he stated.
Andrew said he called for an ambulance and then went in search of the accused who was met at his home sitting with a cutlass next to him.
He was told about the report by the deceased and Mitchel told him that he had chopped his brother. He then handed the cutlass to Andrew and he was arrested.
Mitchel also gave investigating officer, Sergeant Julius Baptiste, a statement about his version of the incident.
“I was sleeping in my bed. I heard a noise banging on my door and heard my brother say, ‘I come to kill you in my mother and father’s yard.’ I ask him what I had done to him,” the statement reads. “I have done nothing to you, I suffering here for many years, you thiefing my things, don’t you deserve to die…I ready please leave me alone. He then make a lick with his cutlass, it did not take me, so I had to protect myself with a cutlass by doing that to him.”
The State’s case is led by attorney in the office of the Director of Public Prosecution, Fernillia Felix along with Kalita Benjamin and Sherma Dyrample while the defense is led by Darius Jones and Ronald Charles.
A five woman; four man jury is hearing the case presided over by Justice Errol Thomas.
why my father
Was the land not surveyed and each one given a portion and fence theirs so as to avoid conflicts? I wonder if it would have prevented this family disputes and this deadly action.
What a way to die and at the hands of a blood relative – a brother. That is some hatred and bad temper against one’s brother, to chop him up resulting in his death.
He was sitting in the house and the cutlass was in his presence. It is as if he had no remorse of what he did.
Well, dead man tell no tales. He could have made up that story in his defense.
Why do people stand by as spectators and not immediately telephone the police? At the first sign of a fracas especially with a weapon, the police should be telephoned. If the police responded quickly, they could have stopped the brother from further harming his brother. Who knows? The brother could have been alive today.
This country is the worst,god come and claim your world from these evil doers.
Its sad that it had to lead to this. No one should have to end up killing someone, make it worst a sibling, for land. The sad thing is when we die the same land you kill over will stay right there for someone else to have. And you will be under it. smh.