Accused murder suspect, Woman Police officer Michelle Brown after 3 years tells court Fareed Ahmad was shot by a police officer she used to work with- she claims she told no one as she was threaten”
Yesterday, interdicted Woman Police Officer, Michelle Brown, 27, a mother of two children, accused of the December 27, 2017 murder of 37-year- old Fareed Ahmad, a Belize City Businessman and Muslim Barber of Mile 17 on the George Price Highway took the witness stand and gave sworn evidence about who shot Ahmad causing his unfortunate and sudden death.
Ahmad according to the doctor’s findings, died after being shot twice in the face with a gun.
But he did not died from gunshot injuries rather from the sudden impact he sustain after his silver and blue SUV BMW vehicle lost control and collided into a park truck at Mile 16 on the George Price Highway. He suffered a fracture skull and died in the operating room hours after the crash. He had been shot twice to his face which led to the crash.
From all that has been told and speculated in the 2017 killing of Ahmad, no one have ever heard yet what Brown the woman police woman charged with his murder had to say becuase Brown gave no caution statement about what led to her ending up in Admad’s crashed vehicle.
And after the crown, led by Senior Crown Counsel, Shanice Lovelle called her last witness to the stand, who was forced to testify virtually; because of being in quarantine for 16 days and later tested positive to COVID-19.
At 2:49, Justice Colin Williams read Brown her constitutional rights of having three choices to select from, – (1) remain silent, – (2) give a dock statement or (3) testified from the witness stand and give sworn evidence.
Justice Colin Williams, made sure to inform Brown, who is represented by two Attorneys, Senior Counsel, Simeon Sampson and Anthony Sylvester, that if she choose to remain silent, she had a right not to say anything but if she choose to give a dock statement, no one can question her about what she said but if she holds the bible, she opens herself to be cross examined by the crown and he the judge.
After seeking a 20 minutes recess, Brown’s attorney in a shocking surprise, put her on the stand to testify about the deadly night in question.
As we told you two weeks ago when Browns trial kicked off before Justice Colin Williams, a trial by-judge without jury, the crown witnesses testified that Ahmad called his wife around 10:00 and told her he was on his way home and that he will reached home within 45 mins. Irma Dyer, Ahnad’s wife testified that during their conversation over the phone, he made a comment, indicating which was not to her, and that made her realized that he was not alone but the phone conversation ended and she waited for his arrival.
But at around 12:00 midnight or so, Dyer called Ahmads phone only to be told that he was in an accident by one, Jason Betson, a neighbor of Ahmad; who lived at Mile 16, one mile before Ahmad’s home, where he had crashed after collided into Betson’s brother parked truck.
As one of many first responder on the scene, Betson told the court how he met about 5-6 persons at the crash scene and that he saw a man and woman in the vehicle.
They were trapped inside and with help of others, he helped pulled out a woman, he later knew and identify as Brown, the Coolir gial and said he also noticed the driver was Ahmad someone he knew as well.
Betson said he pulled out Brown and placed her to lie on the ground with her head being support on his feet to help her as they waited for an ambulance to arrive.
He said Ahmad was seen trying to get up but told to stay down for safety reasons.
Brown he testified was conscious and spoke to him saying, “check meh for gunshot wounds. We meh deh fight feh the gun.”
Earlier in the crown’s trial, Corporal Abner Itsa testified that when he worked with Brown earlier that night, she was acting strange and appeared to be crying as if something was wrong, but when asked what was happening, Brown told them, “Ah straight,”
The team of SAT- Special Assignment Team officers which was supervised by Cpl. Itsa, both testified that Brown left work that night armed with a 9 mm Bersa firearm with serial number, and she did not sign in the issued work gun for which her Supervisor Cpl. Itsa testified to, she had sign in for the gun, on the fatal night.
So from all recollections of that night leading to Ahmad’s death, Brown according to the crowns case was armed with a firearm when she left work.
Today in her defense, Brown told the court, ” prior to 2017, I was a police officer for 4 years. On December 27, 2017, the night of Ahmads death, she left the Racoon Street Police Station with a friend name Jermaine Vasquez where she went to his house on Kraal Road and then they went to socialized at BTL Park for a little over 20 mins when she received a call from her Dad who was in Belmopan, Brown said her dad told her over the phone she needed to come get him as he was intoxicated.
Brown said she asked Vasquez to drive her to the round-ah-about with Central American Boulevard at the corner of George Price Highway where he left her and waiting for a bus.
But while waiting, a man she claim who was driving a silver vehicle, who she later told the court was Fareed Ahmad asked her if she needed a ride and she accepted it and sat in the front passenger seat.
Brown said she was still wearing her #1 camouflage uniform with markings police on it. Ahmad on their way to Hattieville began to ask her several questions regarding police procedure.
She said he asked her about police search, the way situation was investigated or dealt with by police officers. She said he then asked her about the Professional Standard Branch and that’s when she told him about their roles in that department, and he told her that he had made a report and that nothing was being done for him based on the report he had made.
Brown then said that during her conversation in the vehicle with Ahmad before they reached Hattiville, she asked him if he had made a statement into the report and sign it and he said No. Their conversation continue said Brown as Ahmad she claim told her he was puzzled and that he was not aware he needed to sign a statement.
After 20 mins into their journey and upon their arrival in Hattieville, Brown said she told Ahmad that for the statement to have been official, he would have had to sign the report and that’s when Ahmad according to Brown began to expressed his discontent towards the Belize Police Department and as Ahmad was asking her now about certain police officers during their lengthy conversation, she claim Ahmad asked her about a black book.
According to Brown, a black book was a police term.
Ahmad she claim asked him what does that mean, that is when an officer says your name is in the black book.
Brown told the court that in response to Ahmad’s question, she told him that she had heard the term before but really could not say what it really meant.
She claim she question him then as to why he was asking all those questions and he responded that it was all out of curiosity.
Brown paused for about a minute during her testimony and began fondle with the bible infront of her on the stand before continuing her testimony then said that she told Ahmads certain information and as they arrived in Hattieville and was by the bus shed, she open the door to exit the vehicle, but he insisted he wanted to continue the journey with her and prolong their conversation, claim Brown. She said Ahmad wanted her to speak with his Dad but she refused and after he insisted she speak with his Dad, he manage to convince to do so, so she closed back the door and remain in the vehicle.
Ahmad then drove up the highway in the direction of Belmopan and their conversation continue she said that’s when she told him she did not want to be seen speaking with him because of the information she had shared with him so she claim Ahmad told her he would make a U-turn up the road and as he was doing the U turn into the lane, that is when according to Brown she heard the back passenger side door of the vehicle behind her, open, then she heard the sound of a clip. It was a sound she was familiar with said Brown as she identify the sound of it to a firearm taken off its safety.
This is the point of Browns statement where she said a 3rd person entered Ahmads vehicle and shoot him.
At this point in Brown’s testimony, she began to cry.
Then Brown said to the court, “the man spoke and said, Dah now den, Oye.”
The vehicle came to a brief stop at this time, explained Brown and that is when she identified the voice of the gunman sitting in the back seat.
Brown at this point asked her attorney if she could say in court whose voice it was but Attorney, Sylvester then asked her how was she able to say who the person was. And that’s when Brown told the court, the voice was that of a police officer with whom she worked with at the time. She called no name yet.
The man she said put the nozzle of the gun at the back of her head and the gun snap twice, so she did not move and then she heard the gun cock and that is when she saw the man with the gun placed the gun at Fareed’s head and pulled the trigger.
Brown once more began to cry as she explained her recollection of that deadly night saying, Fareed grabbed the gun, then she heard the back door slam. The vehicle accelerated, Farred left go of the steering wheels and in that brief moment she grabbed the steering wheels and tried to take his feet off the gas but she could not. explained Brown.
That’s when the vehicle began to swerve across the road then it crashed.
She later recall she hit herself in the dash board and she went unconscious for a while.
Brown said when she regain consciousness, she heard a voice, later identify as Jason Betson saying, “Coolie gial, dah you. Buoy dah Miss Brown.”
She recall being taken out of the vehicle from the drivers side and placed into an ambulance.
Brown also recall that whilst at the hospital being treated by medical pratitioner, a hispanic male in civilian came up to her and threaten her that if she say anything that they would hurt her children.
Brown said the man was specific when he told her, “They wah cut their heads off.” – When asked by her attorney Anthony Sylvester in court if she knew the hispanic man, Brown said yes, I had seen him several times at the Raccoon Street Police Station with a senior police officer. – After being threaten, Brown said she said nothing to any one.
Browns testimony lasted for more than 2 hours and almost 2 hours into it, at about 5:00 p.m., the court took a 5 minutes break and resumed after 5.
During cross examination by the crown, senior Crown Counsel, Shanice Lovelle suggested to Brown that this version of her series of event about the night in question was fabricated. Brown in response said she did not agree with her.
The crown counsel Lovelle put several suggestions to Brown one of those suggestions were that after 3 years you want this court to believe that a 3rd person came into the vehicle and shot Fareed and you did nothing?
Brown said yes, I did nothing.
According to Brown, after shooting Ahmad, the 3rd person jump out of the vehicle cause she heard the door open and slam again even though she never saw the person physically when he jumped out the vehicle.
During Brown’s entire testimony, Ahmads wife listen and was very emotional in court hearing what Brown had to say. – It was not until after the break at 5 and when the court resume, Crown Counsel Lovelle asked Brown to give the court the name of the 3rd person she claim shot Ahmad and she gave the name of a police officer she used to work it. That man she identify was Corporal Elmer Nah. – This series of event was never yet told in any statement by Brown before.
Today at the commencement of Brown’s trial, instead of heading to the locus, the crown had their own surprise twist, and called another witness, – Corporal Elmer Nah.
Now this is the police officer who Brown is accusing shot Fareed. At 9:30, Corporal Nah took the stand and said, on December 27, 2017, he came off duties at 10:00and went home to Coney Drive where he remain with his uncle, Marco Vidal for the rest of the night.
It was not until the following day, December 28, 2017, he woke up and made checks on his WhatsApp chat group for his work at SAT and saw a message was send to him by one of his team members who said WPC Brown was in an accident.
He then reported to duty that morning.
The crown asked Nah if he knew Michelle Brown back in December 2017 and he said yes. – According to Nah he got to know Brown when he was tranferred to work at the Racoon Street Police Station on June 26, 2017 and that he would only interact with Brown suring work hours.
When asked by the crown if he had interacted with Brown on the night of Ahmad’s death, Nah said he only interacted with Brown on work days since he (Nah) was apart of the intelligence team and he would brief thr team Brown was apart of.
He told the court that he never saw Brown anytime after December 27, 2017.
In cross examination of Nah by Attorney, Sampson, he asked Nah when was the last time he interacted with Brown before the crash incident and he said 2 days earlier, on Xmas day.
Attorney Sampson suggested to Nah that isn’t it a fact that during the briefing he had with Brown and her team on Xmas Day, was when the most important item they spoke of was a black list.
Nah did not agree with Sampson suggestion and said that their briefly that day was not about any black list.
Sampson then asked cpl. Nah if at the meeting or briefing that day, wasn’t there recentment about the black list with names of persons they were investigating.
Corporal Nah denied any such list existed and told the court the list was of persons wanted for committal of crimes such as robbery, theft, and for gang members who owed the court.
Sampson continued with the lines of qestions regarding a black list of names f persons and asked Corporal Nah if it wasn’t a fact that they were a list of Ahmad’s family memebrs on the list in question? – Once again, Corporal Nah said there was no list with any family members of Ahmad’s.
Sampson also asked Cpl. Nah, even of there was no black list, didn’t he as the head of the unit at the time,mention Ahmad’s name and that he was the subject of an investigstion at the time of the briefing?
Cpl. Nah response was No.
When asked by Sampson what was his relationship to Brown back in December 2017, and he said it was professionally and they only worked together as a police.
He admitted that Brown would work with him on operations.
When asked by Senior Counsel Sampson why would Brown accused him of shooting Ahmad, Corporal Nah said, “That statement she made, ( referring to Browns statement yesterday from the stand), I personally was lost.”
He added that he and Brown back in 2017 were very professional so he is confused why she called his name.
And of all the members of Nah’ s group. SAMPSON asked him Brown chose his name to call and he said he knew no reasons why..
Justice Colin Williams asked Corporal Nah. before he left the stand several questions to clear up some concerns he had.
He asked him if he knew Fareed Ahmad of which he said yes and told the court that he knew Ahmad when he worked at Special Branch as the head in 2014-2015.
Judge Williams also asked him if Ahmad wa a special interest then for Special Branch and Corporal Nah response was, yes, for Special Branch as there was an intelligence which led to arrest for Fareed Ahmad for drugs but as it related to SAT- the Special Assignment Team for which he was the Head back in December 2017 when Ahmad was killed, Corporal Nah said no investigation was being carried out on the Ahmad’s Family.
Justice Williams also asked him then why it was that he Corporal Nah gave a statement into the Fareed Ahmad’s case if he was not apart of the investigation and Nah’s response was he gave a statement based on a request made by the Professional Standard Bureau.
In that statement, Corporal Nah spoke of interviewing a Barber, which turn out to be one of Fareed Ahmad’s worker.
This afternoon, the court visited the locus and returned to the courthouse at 4pm.
The case was further adjourned for addresses to be made by both sides before the judge makes a ruling in the case against Michelle Brown.