Peter King trial Fatal job interview

from the
by BARBARA GAYLE,

The man who is charged with the murder of 64-year-old Ambassador Peter King took the decision yesterday (Friday 13th)to give his defence on oath from the witness stand, where he will face thorough cross-examination.

Sheldon Pusey, 25, has been on trial in the Home Circuit Court since January 19 for the murder.

King was fatally stabbed and chopped at his house between March 19 and 20, 2006.

Pusey said in his defence yesterday that sometime after 6 p.m. on March 19, 2006, he went to King's house about a job. He said it was a man called 'Rupie' who sent him for the job.


carpenter-turned-waiter

Pusey said he was a carpenter, but because he suffered from sickle-cell disease, he had given up the trade, because it was too strenuous, and worked as a waiter at Strawberry Hill Hotel, St Andrew.

He was at King's house for about four hours when he told King it was getting late and he had to leave.

King insisted that he stay the night and gave him a meal and an alcoholic drink. After he had the drink, Pusey said he felt dizzy, as if he was going to faint.

He told King he had to go home. King began dragging him to a room and kept telling him that he should lie down.

Pusey said King began stroking him - his face, chest and shoulders. The accused said he pushed King away as King began to take off his (Pusey's ) clothes. He said at that time, King was naked. Pusey said he tried to fight King, but he could not manage King because of King's size. He said while they were wrestling, he managed to get something from a cup holder and stabbed King.


burnt clothing

Pusey said he was also injured during the incident. King eased off and he said he jumped over the balcony, jumped over the fence and left the premises. He said he went to his mother's house where he burned the clothes he had been wearing. He then left for Mango Valley, St Mary, where he remained until he was arrested in March 2007.

When cross-examined by Caroline Hay, deputy director of public prosecutions, Pusey said he also answered to the names 'Brown Man', Anthony Blake, AB and Blond Pryce. He said women had given him the names. Asked if he had many girls, he replied "not right now".

He said he did not know if Rupie was gay and that he understood the word gay to mean men having sex with men. He said it was Rupie who had sent him to King about the job and the last time he saw Rupie was on March 19, 2006, when Rupie showed him where King lived.