He was standing right next to the air conditioning unit but Junior Jarvis was the only one sweating at the Serious Offences Court in Kingstown on Thursday.
As Senior Prosecutor Adolphus Delplesche got into the meat of his closing submissions, a bead of sweat began glistening in the accused murderer’s closely-cropped hair.
As more beads appeared and Delplesche responded to the points that defence counsel Israel Bruce had made in his earlier submissions, Jarvis used his palm to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
At one point, the accused man signalled to his counsel that he wanted to say something to him.
But Bruce, listening to Delplesche’s arguments, signalled to his client to wait, before going towards the dock about two minutes later, where he and Jarvis had a conversation that was inaudible to the rest of the court.
The development came at the end of a preliminary inquiry into the Feb. 14, 2017 shooting death of 39-year-old banker Randy Lawrence at Arnos Vale.
Jarvis, a 44-year-old former journalist, has been charged with murder in connection with Lawrence’s death.
He is also charged with the abduction of Arisha Pompey of Arnos Vale and with assaulting Pompey, occasioning actual bodily harm.
He is further charged with the attempted murder of Josette Smith of Arnos Vale and entering Smith’s home as a trespasser.
Jarvis, a former senior reporter at Searchlight newspaper, who left the company to pursue a stint in public relations, is also charged that he used a black pistol to aid in the commission of an offence.
All of the offences were allegedly committed at Arnos Vale on Feb. 14.
Thursday’s proceedings saw the close of the preliminary inquiry in which some 35 witnesses testified.
In his closing submissions, Bruce argued that his client should not be committed to stand trial for Lawrence’s murder.
“There is nothing that points to premeditation on the part of the accused to murder Randy Lawrence,” Bruce told the court.
In his response, Delplesche argued that the case is one for the jury to decide, adding that the Crown has made out a case on each charge.
“We have not done so 50 [per cent] for one and 10 [per cent] for another. We have done so 100 per cent on each of the charges,” he argued.
Chief Magistrate, Rechanne Browne-Matthias, who presided, ruled that the prosecution has made out a prima facie case on each of the six charges and committed Jarvis to stand trial at the next practicable sitting of the High Court.
After the court adjourned for the day, Delplesche shook hands with the accused murderer, telling him that he thinks he understand how he feels.
Jarvis, in his response, mentioned police in his comments, which were not discernible to iWitness News.
Amy I reading correctly, the prosecutor shook hands with the accused murder at the end of the days proceedings? Only in a St Vincent this will happen. Call it judicial proceedings Vincent Ian style.
They are all sick the prosecutor, Bruce and the [accused] murderer the prosecutor is telling the murderer he knows how be he feels come on prosecutor that [accused] killer not suppose to feel no how at all please.