By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A prosecutor claimed yesterday that a man accused of a fatal 2021 shooting on Carmichael Road spotted the victim in a bar just hours before the killing, as she made her closing submissions in the Supreme Court.

Jawuan “Fat Boy” Armbrister was present in court as Cephia Pinder-Moss presented final arguments in his murder and attempted murder trial before Justice Guillimina Archer-Minns.

Armbrister, who appeared in a wheelchair, is accused of fatally shooting Devonte Brown while Brown was riding a motorcycle near Meat Max on Carmichael Road sometime between September 17 and 18, 2021. Armbrister is also accused of shooting and injuring Valverde Butler, who was on the same motorcycle.

During her submissions, Mrs Pinder-Moss pointed to surveillance footage from Pro Sports Bar timestamped at 11.47pm on September 17, 2021. She claimed the footage showed Armbrister doing a double take inside the bar upon seeing the victim, and said the two exchanged words outside the establishment hours before the shooting.

Mrs Pinder-Moss told jurors the victim’s mother had attended every day of the trial and said her life had been forever changed by the incident. She said the mother had described her son as “the life of the party”.

She noted that another man, known as “DJ”, had also been charged in the matter but is now deceased.

The prosecutor claimed Armbrister believed he had committed the perfect crime and dismissed the defence’s argument that the evidence was flawed.

She also addressed testimony from Derron Rolle, who previously told police he gave Armbrister his car keys on the night of the shooting but later recanted that claim in court, saying he had been coerced by police.

Mrs Pinder-Moss argued Mr Rolle’s original statement was credible because of its detail, including that he had eaten chicken and fries the night Armbrister allegedly visited his home and borrowed the car. She said Mr Rolle changed his story at trial in an effort to protect a friend.

When Mr Rolle took the stand, he testified he had purchased a black 2010 Honda Fit suspected of being used in the crime. Though the vehicle was registered in his mother’s name, he said he had bought it himself.

Mr Rolle said that on the morning of September 17, 2021, his mother drove him to work in the car. He believed she returned home afterward, though he wasn’t certain if she had work that day.

Around 6pm, he said his mother picked him up and they returned home. Mr Rolle maintained he always had the car keys in his possession.

After collecting his girlfriend from work that evening, he said they arrived back home shortly after 8pm and parked the car outside his aunt’s house. Around 9pm, he said he got food from his aunt’s restaurant and later watched a movie with his girlfriend before going to bed around 11pm.

He insisted no one visited that night and the car was in the same spot when he left for work at 7am the next day.

Mr Rolle said the inconsistencies between his court testimony and police statement were due to threats he received from officers at the Central Detective Unit, although he could not name them. He said he was arrested several weeks after the incident during a traffic stop with his mother in the same vehicle.

However, the prosecution countered that neither Mr Rolle nor his mother were arrested, and Mr Rolle responded that he had voluntarily turned himself in.

Mr Rolle acknowledged knowing Armbrister from school but denied they were friends. He also said Armbrister was not in a wheelchair in 2021.

He denied the prosecution’s claim that Armbrister came to his house around 8.30pm on September 17 and borrowed the car, as stated in the police report. He said police fabricated that detail.

The prosecution pointed to the police statement noting Mr Rolle had bought chicken and fries from a restaurant and that Armbrister returned the car keys by knocking on his window at 5am.

Mr Rolle denied this, saying he always woke up at 5am—two hours before work—and did not recall Armbrister returning the keys at that time.

The defence has maintained Armbrister’s innocence.

He is represented by Miranda Adderley.

Danielle Capron also served on the prosecution team alongside Mrs Pinder-Moss.