By Miharu Sugie
Thursday marked the beginning of the trial for three out of four people accused of killing Romeo McCubbin in Dorchester in 2013.
Andrew Robertson, Omar Bonner and Omar Denton are charged for the Dec. 14, 2013 shooting on Havelock Street. A fourth defendant Javaine Watson will be tried in court later because of health issues, according to officials from the Suffolk County DA’s office.
Romeo McCubbin
Both the prosecution and defense presented opening statements Thursday morning, and in the afternoon, the prosecution began calling witnesses.
The first witness in court was Ian Simpson, a 49-year-old resident of Havelock Street. Simpson, a construction worker originally from Jamaica, described what he heard and saw that night. A key piece evidence for the prosecution in this case is the surveillance video that Boston Police obtained from Simpson’s security cameras facing Havelock Street.
It was shortly after 1:30 a.m., Simpson described while sitting on the witness stand, when he heard four to five gunshots and the sound of a car bumping into another car. He was in his bed on the second floor, he testified, trying to sleep.
From his bedroom window facing the street, the Dorchester resident said he saw a man falling out of a vehicle in front of his house and a car pull off.
“I saw a guy with a gun in his hand. I heard like a click,” Simpson said. “Then I see the hand motion to reset the gun. And I heard more gun shots.”
Soon after, Simpson said he saw another man kicking the person lying on the ground, yelling and swearing. Just as displayed in the security video played in the courtroom, Simpson saw two men running away. Policemen arrived at the scene shortly after. Eventually, two policemen came to his door.
Although the defendants’ attorneys repeatedly asked the witness whether he remembered the names and the physical appearances of the Boston Police officers who spoke with him and his father that night, Simpson was unable to identify any. Simpson also denied having said that he saw “two thin black males” on Havelock Street.
The prosecution testimony will continue in courtroom 817 at Suffolk Superior Court. For more details on the incident in December 2013: Universalhub.
