Accused threatened to make dead man's 'stomach leak'‚ court hears
The life of a rehabilitated drug user and father of three was threatened by an alleged drug dealer‚ now accused of his murder‚ only two days before he died. This was the testimony of Nolan Harwood‚ cousin of the deceased Declynn Harwood‚ 28‚ in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.Nolan said he had witnessed a fight erupt between his cousin and the man on trial‚ Shannon Mark Diamond‚ 32‚ near his home in Newlands in the west of Johannesburg.Diamond had threatened to make Declynn's "stomach leak"‚ he said. This is "street talk" that means you will be killed‚ Nolan said.Declynn and Diamond lived near each other in Crown Gardens‚ south of Johannesburg.According to Nolan‚ his cousin visited him on November 3 last year and told him that Diamond had threatened to kill him. After the visit‚ he had walked Declynn to a taxi rank and they encountered Diamond‚ who was driving a white Volkswagen Polo.He said Declynn and Diamond started arguing after a man he believes was with Diamond had "recklessly verbally assaulted" Declynn. The argument escalated to a physical altercation and he had separated the two men.He said Declynn told him: “This is the person I told you about that wants to kill me.”Diamond then said to Declynn: “This is your last day on earth and your stomach is going to leak‚” Nolan said.Declynn was shot in his stomach two days later. His body was found about 70 metres from Diamond's home.Nolan said that Declynn had given Diamond a cell phone in exchange for drugs previously‚ but that Declynn had wanted the phone back before he was killed.He told the court that Declynn had told him there was bad blood between himself and Diamond because Diamond was peddling drugs in Crown Gardens and Declynn was encouraging people to stop buying from him.Diamond was denied bail in March after the court found that he had lied about his previous convictions and had failed to appear in the Newlands Magistrate's Court in September last year on a drug trafficking charge.The drug trafficking charge has since been withdrawn.The trial continues.-RDM News Wire..
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