Dead woman's sister 'frightened' after accused came to stay
The sister of a Jamaican woman who was allegedly beaten to death with a lump hammer has told a murder trial jury that she was frightened after the accused came to stay about a week before the killing.
Mrs Nicola Curtis was giving evidence in the trial of her sister’s husband Goodwill Uduchukwu (aged 32) with a previous address at Royal Canal View, Royal Canal Bank, Phibsboro who denies murdering Natasha Gray (aged 25) at the same address on February 18, 2003.
The body of the mother-of-two was found upside down in a baby’s cot with a lump hammer beside her.
Mrs Curtis agreed with Ms Pauline Walley SC, prosecuting that the accused had come to stay on Wednesday February 12, 2003 and had arrived with his brother or half brother Godson.
She said: “We were all frightened. We were shocked when they arrived.”
She said she thought her sister had been sleeping at the time as she was working night shifts.
She said everything had been tense that afternoon but she agreed her sister had gone for a walk with the accused to talk. She said Ms Gray was supposed to go to work but rang in and did not go.
The following day she said she telephoned the accused and told him he could not stay in the flat. He told her he was going to get somewhere else.
She said she had not been talking to the accused due to an incident over rent money.
“He knew he shouldn’t be there anyway and I told him he had to leave,” she said.
She said her sister went to work that Thursday and did not return until the Sunday morning. She said her sister was crying and said she was going to call the Gardaí but she said: “Come and talk to him and see what you can work out.”
The trial continues before the jury of five men and seven women.
