WESTERN BUREAU

Two men who were recently implicated in the 2006 murder of a man in Mount Carey, St James were remanded in the Montego Bay Resident Magis-trate's Court on Tuesday.

Devin McPherson, 31, chef and Rohan Williams, 33, mason, both of Mount Carey, were denied bail by Resident Magistrate Sandria Wong-Small on the grounds that they may be flight risks, they were apprehended more than a year after the incident, the seriousness of the allegations and concerns for their safety.

In his bail application, defence attorney Morrel Beckford said his clients were not evading the police as the prosecution may have suggested, but their lives were threatened. Williams was arrested in December 2008 while McPherson was arrested last month. They return to court on May 19.

The prosecution is awaiting the statements from the scene of crime police, the arresting officer, investigating officer and the forensic report.

It is alleged that on November 27, 2006 at 7:30 p.m the now deceased and a witness were driving towards Williams' house in York Bush, Mount Carey, when a vehicle coming from the opposite direction stopped them.

The court heard that McPherson was the driver while Williams and an unidentified man were passengers. Williams and the now deceased spoke and everyone went to McPherson's home.

The witness stood outside the house while the two accused and the deceased went inside. They were later joined by four other men.

Further allegations are that one of the unidentified men, who was waiting outside, went into the house and called the witness, who was told to lie on the floor and tied up. One of the men allegedly told him that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and asked him if anyone knew he was coming to the house; to which he responded 'no'.

The court was further informed that the witness was relieved of his car key and cellular phone and was placed in the trunk of his car. The men also placed the now deceased in the trunk beside the witness. The witness alleges that the men were discussing how they would dispose of them.

They were taken to a section of Whales Pond where it is alleged that the two accused threw the deceased's body into a gully. They then took the witness elsewhere and pushed him down a gully. He managed to free himself and ran. He reported the matter to the police the following day and took the police to the deceased's body was located. The body had a gunshot wound to the head and bruises to the chest and hands.

The police allege that they went to the homes of both accused men but were unable to locate them. Blood was allegedly found at McPherson's home.