The first witness in the perjury trial of Belinda Young testified when the case opened in Magistrates Court.
However, after hearing from Assistant Superintendent of Police Hilton Cash, the matter was adjourned at the request of Defense Attorney Carlson Shurland.
Young, 28, and her boyfriend, Troy Stephen Williams, Jr., 27, were indicted for the March 24, 2010 murder of 42-year-old Stanley McDonald Butterfield.
Williams, Young and Butterfield, Williams’ uncle, were traveling in a vehicle reportedly on their way to West End around 5:00 that fateful afternoon when the two men became embroiled in a heated argument and Butterfield was shot in the head.
Police were alerted when they received information about a nude man on Queen’s Highway near the welcome sign to West End shooting at several cyclists.
On arrival, they discovered Butterfield’s lifeless body in the vehicle, face-down on the left front passenger seat.
Young and Williams were still on the scene and charged days later.
However, the Office of the Attorney General withdrew charges against Young who, in turn, testified for The Crown in the trial.
The trial opened in the Supreme Court in early March 2011.
When Young took the stand on March 9, she told the court that her written police statement was partially untrue and that the police threatened her with more jail time if she did not say what they wanted her to.
Her account of what transpired the day of the shooting was that Butterfield pulled a gun while driving the car and Williams tussled with him before the gun went off.
The following day, the charges were dropped against Williams.
Two weeks later, Young was charged with perjury in Court 2 before Magistrate Andrew Forbes.
Yesterday, she appeared before the magistrate for the start of her perjury trial.
ASP Cash told the court of receiving a statement and transcript and later interviewing and charging Young.
Under cross-examination, Attorney Shurland questioned the officer about the record of interview and the fact that his client had wanted her lawyer present before the interview continued.
Shortly after Cash’s testimony, the matter had to be adjourned at Shurland’s request when he revealed that he was too ill to continue.
The trial resumes on Monday, September 3, 2012.
Attorney Vernal Collie is acting on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General.
The Freeport News
