Mark Waight walks; trial for accused killer of journalist Kareem Clarke falls apart

By Aaron Humes:Mark Waight, 21, charged as a minor with the murder of Amandala reporter Kareem Clarke on July 6, 2015, was on Thursday freed of murder charges in the Supreme Court.

 Justice Colin Williams on the second day of trial disallowed two statements made by a Justice of the Peace and the Crown’s main witness, dooming the prosecution’s case.

 The Crown’s main witness, after no-showing the first day of trial, was brought to court on a bench warrant on Wednesday and claimed she had not given police a statement about the murder. She further claimed that on the morning in question, she was smoking marijuana with others and was getting high so she was not in her proper senses. She, therefore, had to be stood down as a witness. In the afternoon, the Crown called to the stand the police witness who recorded her statement; but the Justice of the Peace who signed the document could not be located at that time.

The Justice of the Peace on Thursday gave evidence stating that he never wrote down certain information told to him by the witness and in court, the judge could not believe what he said.

Attorney for Waight, Kathleen Lewis, submitted that there is no evidence before the court against her client that he committed the murder and that he should be released of the charge.

Justice Colin Williams agreed and Mark Waight was set free. However, he was remanded back to the Central Prison awaiting disposition of an unrelated attempted murder charge.

28-year-old Kareem Clarke was shot multiple times after midnight as he was riding his bicycle on Vernon Street.

The Crown was represented by Crown Counsel Shanice Lovell.

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