“I never spoke to that murderer.”
That was the assertion of murder accused, Omar Collymore, as he was questioned about conversations he allegedly had with the man convicted of killing his wife, Simone Campbell-Collymore.
Collymore’s cross examination continued in front of a 7-member jury at the Home Circuit Court in downtown, Kingston today.
Nora Gaye Banton reports.
Simone Campbell-Collymore and a taxi driver, Winston Walters, were shot and killed on January 2, 2018, at the entrance to her apartment complex on Stanley Terrace in Red Hills, St. Andrew.
Her husband, Omar, is charged jointly with Michael Adams, Dewayne Pink, and Shaquila Edwards with murder and conspiracy to murder.
A fifth man, Wade Blackwood, who was one of the shooters, pleaded guilty two counts of murder and two counts of illegal possession of a firearm in January 2021.
Three months later, he was handed two life sentences for the murders and eight and a half years for the firearm.
After agreeing to testify in the trial, Blackwood was re-sentenced to life with eligibility for parole after serving 20-years.
When his trial resumed on Wednesday, Collymore denied sharing a cell with Blackwood at the Half Way Tree police lockup.
He later admitted that he and Blackwood did share the same cell at the Horizon Remand Adult Centre in Kingston.
However, Collymore indicated that they did not remain in the cell at the same time.
Collymore also asserted that he never spoke with Blackwood during the time they were in lockup.
Collymore’s testimony significantly contrasted with that of Blackwood, who testified in March that he and Collymore spoke while in jail at the Half Way Tree lockup.
When questioned by the senior prosecutor as to whether Blackwood asked him why he gave him a contract to kill Simone, Collymore denied that such a conversation occurred.
Collymore was then pressed on whether he spoke to Blackwood about his wife’s murder.
However, in a stern voice, Collymore replied, “No, never. I never spoke to that man. I never spoke to that murderer. Period.”
Collymore was then asked whether Blackwood told him he would plead guilty.
However, he maintained that Blackwood never spoke to him.
The prosecution also suggested to Collymore that he had told Blackwood how to plead while they shared a cell at the police lockup.
But Collymore insisted, “No I never spoke to that man. Period.”
Collymore stated that he shared a cell with Blackwood for about one month.
According to Collymore, he had never met Blackwood before sharing a jail cell with him.
He further stated that he did not know who killed his wife until Blackwood pleaded guilty.
Collymore also denied that one of his co-defendants, Michael Adams, indicated that Collymore was the one who gave him a contract to kill his wife.
The trial resumes on Thursday at 10.
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