Jury expected to consider verdict in Pathways murder trial today

The jury in the murder trial of Andre Ruddock, accused of slitting Taneka Gardner’s throat in an alleged sacrificial ritual five years ago, is expected to be sent out today to consider its verdict.

Justice Leighton Pusey is set to complete his summation and directions to the seven-member jury in the Home Circuit Court before they retire.

The 39-year-old woman was killed at Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries in St James on October 17, 2021. Ruddock, who was reportedly witnessed committing the act and had confessed, was charged with murder.

The Crown alleged that the 36-year-old farmer and then security guard for now-deceased church leader Kevin Smith murdered Gardner on the pastor’s instructions.

During the trial, which commenced on September 17, the Crown called 10 witnesses, including an alleged eyewitness – Smith’s attendant, who was a junior minister in training. Ruddock was the sole witness for the defence.

The attendant testified that he heard the pastor instruct that Gardner’s throat be slashed. He said Ruddock and another appointed archangel were present when the instruction was given and that Ruddock nudged the other man before running towards Gardner.

The eyewitness also testified that, before Gardner’s death, Smith told him his throat had to be cut for him to enter the kingdom. He said the pastor called him a demon when he questioned the remark, and he was later stabbed by another church member as he left the church.

The trial also heard from a detective constable, who testified that Smith had confessed to the killing at the scene and that Ruddock had given a caution statement, a day later, in which he admitted that he was guilty and should not have carried out the murder, but said he had acted on Smith’s instructions.

Ruddock also confirmed what he had said during a question-and-answer session. Both the session and the caution statement were video-recorded.

However, he told the court that Smith was the person who had killed Gardner and that the police had instructed him to take the blame. He said he was coerced into giving the caution statement and answering the questions after being physically assaulted and threatened by the detective constable, who he claimed pulled his firearm on him.

Ruddock further claimed that the police told him what to say and that he had not given the caution statement or the 42 responses to questions of his own free will.

Meanwhile, the five-woman, one-man jury was urged by the judge to put aside emotions, prejudice and public opinion and determine the case solely on the evidence presented in court.

Pusey, while acknowledging that Gardner died a sad death, cautioned the jurors last Friday: “You are not here to send a message. That’s not your job.”

The judge stressed that the jury must not allow the circumstances surrounding Gardner’s death or anything they had heard outside the courtroom to influence their assessment of the case.

Pusey also reinforced the presumption of innocence, noting that Ruddock was not required to prove that he was a good person or establish his innocence.

He explained that they were free to accept or reject what he believed to be the facts, as they would ultimately determine what had been established.

However, he emphasised that he was supreme on questions of law and that his legal directions were to be followed.

The judge reminded the jurors that the prosecution had to prove Ruddock’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, saying that if any aspect of the evidence left them uncertain or failed to satisfy that standard, they were required to return a verdict of not guilty.

Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Latoya Bernard and Assistant DPP Carolyn Wright prosecuted the case, while attorneys-at-law Anthony Williams and Venice Brown represented Ruddock.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com