Key Witnesses Challenge Prosecution as Dangriga Murder Trial Nears End

The murder trial of 28-year-old Dashay Williams is moving toward its final stage before Justice Nigel Pilgrim.  Today, the prosecution wrapped up its case and defense opened its arguments.  Williams is accused of fatally shooting 14-year-old Kwame Williams in Dangriga on August 5, 2021. The trial took a pivotal turn today as the accused gave a dock statement, denying all allegations and insisting that statements made against him by key witnesses, including one who is now deceased, were fabricated. Dashay Williams plans to call one alibi witness, a woman he says he was with on the night of the shooting. Her testimony is scheduled for next Friday.  The victim was shot multiple times around 9:00 p.m. on Ghans Avenue, just off Ramos Road in Dangriga. The prosecution’s case relied heavily on two witnesses, namely, a Dangriga resident, who gave a 2021 statement linking Williams to the scene but later died before trial; and a cousin of the victim, who initially identified Williams to police but became hostile during testimony.  The cousin, who had earlier told police he saw the accused and the victim before the shooting and later witnessed a man matching Williams’ description returning to the scene, refused to answer questions when he first took the stand. After a competency review, Justice Pilgrim ruled he could give sworn evidence. The witness then gave testimony that conflicted with his original 2021 police statement, prompting the prosecution to declare him a hostile witness.  Despite the challenges, the prosecution succeeded in having portions of the witness’s police statement admitted, including his identification of Williams during a group ID.  Another key piece of evidence came from Charles Bradley, now deceased, whose 2021 police statement was admitted into evidence. In it, Bradley claimed that Williams confessed to the shooting in two separate conversations. Williams denied ever speaking to Bradley on the night of the incident, telling the court the statements were invented to shift blame and secure Bradley’s release from detention.  From the dock, Williams told the court he was nowhere near the scene of the shooting and was instead with a woman, before going to sleep. He rejected every statement implicating him, calling them “made up” and insisting he never incriminated himself.  The defense is expected to call the woman as its sole witness.  The trial resumes Friday, November 21, when the defense is scheduled to present its witness before Justice Nigel Pilgrim. After that, the case is expected to move to closing arguments and deliberation. It is to be noted that the victim and accused are not related despite sharing the same surname.