By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE prosecution has closed its case in the trial of the man accused of murdering Emmanuel Brown, who was gunned down on Seventh Street in 2022.

Prosecutors allege Donte “Drey” Deveaux, 28, shot and killed 34-year-old Emmanuel “Manny” Brown and attempted to kill Samuel “Fish” Joseph during a shooting on Seventh Street, Coconut Grove, on the night of 2 May 2022.

Officer Lightbourne, an investigating officer, testified before Justice Jeannine Weech-Gomez that on the night of the incident, he went to the crime scene and saw the body of the deceased between a carwash and an unfinished building. He said there were multiple bullet casings near the body.

Under cross-examination from Dr K Melvin Munroe, the defendant’s attorney, Officer Lightbourne confirmed that Deveaux voluntarily turned himself in for questioning on May 9, 2022. However, he told prosecutor Calnan Kelly that it was not unusual for suspects to turn themselves in. He could not recall whether a wanted poster was ever issued for the accused.

Detective Constable Nicholas Farrington testified virtually that he also visited the murder scene at 10.25pm as part of CSI. He said he saw the body of a lifeless male in a torn white shirt and long pants suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.

DC Farrington said he collected six 9mm casings, a blood-stained grey baseball cap, two swabs of blood, and a single dislodged tooth from the scene. While he said he sent these items to the police forensic lab for analysis, he never received the results because they would have been sent directly to the investigator.

After Dr Munroe pointed out a discrepancy between his statement and his report, DC Farrington agreed that his written report indicated he collected only five bullet casings. He explained that it had been a while since he last read the report. He confirmed to the defence that all evidence was collected the night of the shooting and into the following morning.

DC Farrington said the body and casings were found between a carwash and an abandoned structure. Although he could not remember the precise placement of the casings, he said they were near the body. He also noted the area was dark but illuminated by torchlights.

After the Crown closed its case, Deveaux elected to remain silent and called no witnesses in his defence.

Closing arguments from both sides will be submitted next week.

In addition to Mr Kelly, Tenielle Bain and Timothy Bailey were the prosecutors.