After turning himself in to police, a convicted murderer admitted to fatally stabbing a man in Nelson Street, claiming the victim attacked him first — an account contradicted by eyewitnesses and CCTV footage.
During his arraignment last week, Timothy St Pierre, of Garden Land, Country Road and Brereton No. 1, St Philip, pleaded guilty in the No. 4 Supreme Court to murdering Oneal Farmer, formerly of Midway Lane, The Pine, on May 6, 2022.
Reading the facts into evidence, State Counsel Paul Prescod told the No. 4 Supreme Court that according to eyewitnesses, Farmer was standing outside a shop in Nelson Street when St Pierre launched a vicious knife attack, before chasing him into the establishment.
The court heard that sometime after 9:35 p.m., police responded to a report of a stabbing incident at Heavenly Touch Variety Shop in Jordan’s Lane, Nelson Street, in the City. Farmer’s body was found on the floor of the establishment with lacerations to the neck and back.
Officers learned that St Pierre was involved in an altercation earlier that evening with another man in close proximity. Shortly after, the convicted man went to the area near the shop and saw Farmer standing in the road, walked past him, turned around, drew a knife and made stabbing motions towards the deceased, the court heard.
The two men were unknown to each other.
St Pierre turned himself in to the police the following day.
In his statement to police, one eyewitness said that Farmer, who was wearing a red shirt, had been standing outside a bar in the area under a tent and after 9 p.m., St Pierre approached him and started arguing. The witness said that Farmer just appeared to be speaking and not arguing, when the “short man pulled out a knife from the area of his waist and made two stabbing motions and one to the area of the shoulder of the man with the red shirt”.
The witness continued: “As soon as the short man pulled out the knife, the man in the red shirt put up his hands as though he wanted the attack to stop and while his hands were up, I saw the short man make two stabbing motions towards him and saw blood immediately after.”
In the account, the witness said that Farmer ran into the bar with St Pierre in pursuit and that the convicted man continued to stab at the deceased before running out of the bar and in the direction of Golden Square. The witness said Farmer then lay down on the ground as people attempted to help him.
Another witness told the police that the deceased had not been engaged in any fight or argument with the convicted man before the incident.
During his interview with officers on May 7, 2022, St Pierre, who was 29 at the time, said he was attacked from behind by several persons and robbed of money as he was smoking a spliff and drinking earlier that evening.
He told police: “Two ran off with my $50 that fall out in my pocket and the other two guys ran up Golden Square side. I run around there and when I butt rastaman round the corner, we end up in a scuffle…Then after I butt the same guy Oneal. He was armed with a big knife. He attacked me with a knife and I stepped back and then when he made the attempt to come again, it caught me on my right finger so I took the knife and I was so fearful for my life, I attack he with his own knife, not noticing that if I juk him I would have killed him but it was not my fault.”
State counsel Prescod said: “All of the witnesses that gave evidence and CCTV footage showed that the deceased never attacked the convicted man but that the convicted man viciously attacked the deceased.”
Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell adjourned the case until September 22, when Prescod and defence attorney Sade Harris are to give sentencing submissions.
(JB)
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