KINGSTON, Jamaica — A second supply man contracted by policeman Noel Maitland, who’s on trial for the homicide of his girlfriend Donna-Lee Donaldson, took the stand this morning to testify about shifting a sofa between areas in Kingston.
In keeping with the witness, he was employed to choose up a brown sofa — described as being in two or three items — from a automotive wash and ship it to an upholstery store close to the Denham City Police Station.
The second supply man’s testimony follows that of one other supply man who beforehand advised the courtroom he was employed to take away the identical couch from Maitland’s New Kingston house and drop it at a automotive wash on Half-Means-Tree Highway.
The witness stated he and his late co-worker, often called Carlos, have been on one other job when Carlos obtained a cellphone name in regards to the work. They returned to their {hardware} office the place a silver automotive arrived. Carlos spoke with the driving force earlier than each males adopted the automobile — the witness in his pickup truck and Carlos on a motorcycle — to a automotive wash off Lyndhurst Highway in St Andrew.
The supply man stated he stayed inside his truck whereas the couch was loaded, then adopted the silver automotive to an upholstery store close to Denham City Police Station. After a short wait, the sofa was loaded again onto his truck, they usually adopted the automotive to Kingston Public Hospital, the place it was lastly dropped off at one other upholstery store close by.
He advised the courtroom he was paid $5,000 for the job, of which he stored $1,000 and gave the remaining to Carlos.
The witness additionally testified that days later, police got here to his office, took him to Half-Means-Tree Police Station to present a press release, and swabbed and photographed his automobile.
Maitland is on trial within the House Circuit Court docket for homicide and stopping the authorized burial of a corpse in reference to the July 13, 2022, disappearance of Donaldson, a 24-year-old social media persona, swimwear entrepreneur, and customer support consultant.
Donaldson’s mom, Sophia Lugg, had beforehand testified that Maitland picked up her daughter on July 11, and she or he final heard from her the morning of July 12. Subsequent makes an attempt to contact her have been unsuccessful.
The trial continues.