At 4:25 P.M. on Monday, a jury found Taurean Jamal Pile guilty of murdering Orlando Maughan after deliberating for an hour and 32 minutes.
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Pile, a former security officer, of Skeete’s Road, Jackman’s, St Michael, had been on trial for the August 23, 2022 murder of Maughan, at Gills Road, The City.
Maughan, of Valery, Brittons Hill, St Michael, was 63.
The convicted man, who was 35 at the time of the incident, was represented by attorney Marlon Gordan, while Principal State Counsel Olivia Davis and Dr Zoe King prosecuted.
During the trial in Supreme Court No. 2A, jurors were shown video footage from a CCTV recording in which Pile initially cuffed Maughan repeatedly with his right fist, and later stomped on and kicked him 16 times.
That same footage later showed Maughan lying on the roadside at Gills Road with blood spread under one side of his face and a severely swollen forehead resembling the colour of charcoal.
During his unsworn statement from the dock, Pile said he left a party after consuming “several alcoholic drinks”. While on his way home, a white car approached and came to a sudden stop. Maughan jumped out of the vehicle, holding what appeared to be a chain with a padlock attached to it, the court head.
Pile said the man started attacking him and, fearing for his life, he defended himself. He also said Maughan came to his workplace the week before and threatened him.
He added that he and Maughan (who was Pile’s ex-girlfriend’s father) never had a good relationship and the way Maughan approached him at Gills Road, he “strongly believed that he intended to cause me serious harm”.
Lead investigator Sergeant Merville Sealy testified that Pile said during a statement to police that Maughan approached him that night with his hand raised and ran towards him, lashing him with the chain. He added that after Maughan grabbed him he feared for his life and as they started exchanging blows, Maughan lost his footing and fell.
The statement went on to reveal Maughan gripped Pile’s pants leg as he was falling, so he “tried to shake him off” about “three or four times” since he did not know his intentions.
Justice Elwood Watts ordered a presentencing report and remanded Pile to Dodds Prison until July 10. (SD)
