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Murder trial defendant quizzed over gun shot residue

Accused gunman Jay Dill was yesterday quizzed in Supreme Court over gun shot residue (GSR) discovered on his clothing the day after the murder of Randy Robinson.Mr Dill told the court the black top he was wearing when he was arrested belonged to his brother, Kofi Dill, who is currently serving time for handling a firearm.However he said he couldn’t explain GSR found in his pants pocket or component particles found on several other items.Both Mr Dill, 23, and 24-year-old Devon Hewey stand charged with the premeditated murder of Mr Robinson and using a firearm to commit the offence.Both defendants deny the charges.Mr Robinson, 22, was fatally shot while walking along Border Lane North in Devonshire on March 31, 2011.Prosecutors have alleged that Mr Dill was the gunman, shooting Mr Robinson from the pillion seat of a motorcycle ridden by Mr Hewey.Earlier in the trial, the court heard from GSR expert Alison Murtha, who testified that she discovered four particles of GSR on a black shirt seized from Mr Dill the morning after the shooting, and another particle in the pockets of a pair of pants worn by Mr Dill.On the stand yesterday, Mr Dill said he had taken the black top from his brother’s closet in February because he wanted more warm clothing.He told the court that he had worn the top “once or twice” between then and the murder, but had never washed it.However prosecutor Garrett Byrne described the explanation as a “convenient excuse”, noting that Mr Dill repeatedly told officers in an interview that there was no reason why GSR should be on his person or clothes.“When Kofi was arrested, you knew what he hand been arrested for. For handling a firearm. According to you, you were handling some of his clothes,” Mr Byrne said.Mr Dill replied: “The reason why I didn’t say that is because I didn’t realise anything was on me. I didn’t have nothing to do with the murder so I didn’t think nothing would be on me.”Asked why he might have GSR in his pants pocket and GSR component particles on his hands, clothing and motorcycle, he repeatedly said he had no explanation.“I have never held a gun before. I never shot a gun,” he said.Mr Byrne also asked Mr Dill why he wore a helmet with a reflective visor, asking if it was to hide his face. Mr Dill told the court: “It’s just a helmet. Mostly everybody buys tinted helmets.”Mr Byrne suggested that Mr Dill and Mr Hewey were hunting a target and took notice of Mr Robinson, shooting him in the heart and then the head before riding away.Mr Dill responded: “I didn’t shoot Randy. I didn’t have no gun and I wasn’t around that area.”The trial will continue today.