Murder trial: Defence claims pastor killed Taneka Gardner, not Ruddock

Andre Ruddock's attorney argued in court that the deceased pastor Dr Kevin Smith, not his client, slit the throat of Taneka Gardner at a St James church in 2021.

Defence pins Gardner killing on deceased pastor at Albion church murder trial

Attorney-at-law Anthony Williams told the Home Circuit Court on Wednesday that it was the late pastor Dr Kevin Smith — not his client Andre Ruddock — who cut the throat of 39-year-old Taneka Gardner at the Pathways International Restoration Ministries in Albion, St James, on October 17, 2021, Jamaica Observer reports.

Ruddock is currently on trial for murder in downtown Kingston in connection with what prosecutors have described as the sacrificial killing of Gardner inside the church.

A witness giving testimony told the court that Ruddock carried out the act on Smith's direct command. According to the witness, Smith produced a list of names that day, Gardner's among them. Smith summoned her, instructed her to sign "999" beside her name, then directed her to kneel before him.

The witness said Smith told Gardner that her blood was unclean and that her throat had to be cut, and allegedly asked her whether she believed he could bring her back from the dead. Gardner responded in the affirmative more than once, the witness said. Smith then ordered another church member to carry out the act, but that individual froze. At that point, the witness claimed, Ruddock stepped forward and cut Gardner's throat.

Smith died days after the incident when the vehicle transporting him to Kingston — where police intended to interview him about the events at the church — was involved in a crash in St Catherine.

Attorney presses witness on alleged grudge

During cross-examination, Williams challenged the witness's credibility, suggesting he fabricated his account out of personal animosity toward Ruddock. The attorney put it to the witness that around 2019, he had purchased meat on credit from a seller in St Elizabeth for $100,000 and failed to repay the debt — and that Ruddock had reportedly informed Smith of this, resulting in a reprimand.

"Do you recall sometime around 2019, you had purchased some meat from a meat seller on credit from a man in St Elizabeth in the sum of $100,000 and you failed to repay him?" Williams asked.

"I never did that sir," the witness replied.

Williams pressed further, suggesting the witness had also accused Ruddock of instructing the meat seller to post his identification on Facebook as retaliation for the non-payment.

"I did not purchase any meat from anyone in St Elizabeth for $100,000," the witness maintained.

The witness denied harbouring any ill will toward Ruddock. When Williams put it directly — "I am suggesting to you that the person who cut Taneka Gardner's throat was your pastor and not Mr Ruddock. Do you agree with me?" — the witness answered: "I disagree with you sir."

Alibi claim and statement inconsistencies

Williams also put to the witness that Ruddock could not have been present at the moment Gardner was killed because he had left to collect cows under the church's care.

The attorney further highlighted discrepancies between the witness's police statements from 2021 and his evidence before the court. Williams pointed out that in the original statement, the witness told police he saw Ruddock use a large knife to cut off Gardner's head after slitting her throat — a detail he did not mention while testifying.

"I suggest that it was a big lie you told the police that the head was cut off," Williams said.

"I disagree with you," the witness replied.

The witness told the court the decapitation did not occur, which was why he did not raise it in his testimony. When portions of the 2021 statement were read back to him in court, the witness said the passage referring to the head being cut off did not come from him, while accepting that other sections of the statement were his.

The trial continues before the Home Circuit Court.

Source: Jamaica Observer