Closing arguments are set to begin Thursday morning in the retrial of Jahlil Ward, the man convicted last October of killing James "Jamie" Cockayne on St. John in the early morning hours of June 19, 2007.
The third day of the trial was uneventful, especially when compared to the past two days, which have included tear-filled testimony, heated exchanges between counsel, and a bevy of "Law & Order"-style theatrics.
The morning started out with the jury, judge and attorneys in the case traveling to St. John to look over the crime scene and surrounding area. There was no testimony until around 4 p.m., long after everyone came back, but that was frequently broken up by intermittent sidebars in which the attorneys huddled with the judge to discuss legal issues that could not be made public.
Ward’s defense team rested its case after calling a few witnesses to the stand, followed by two rebuttal witnesses from the government, which attempted to disprove testimony offered Tuesday that another man accused of playing a part in Cockayne’s death had confessed to the murder.
But after a while, the testimony began to loop around in circles, and after a few more sidebars, both sides rested their case. V.I. Superior Court Judge Brenda J. Hollar, who is presiding over the trial, asked jury members to come to court around 8:45 a.m. Thursday, so closing arguments can start promptly at 9 a.m.
