During yesterday’s testimony, Kimani Washington made a series of conflicting, sometimes shocking statements about himself and his role in the crime that threatened to punch holes in the prosecutors’ case.
Kimani Washington admitted to defense attorneys that throughout his life he had followed a street code: Lie to police.
“You get called as a witness for the prosecution, you lie, correct?’’ asked Moore’s lawyer, John Amabile.
“Yes,’’ Kimani Washington replied.
That did not change when he became a witness in this murder case, Amabile and Edward Washington’s lawyer, John Cunha, tried to show yesterday during about 5 hours of grueling cross-examination during which they also assailed his character.
Kimani Washington acknowledged on the stand that he had agreed to testify against Edward Washington, his cousin, and Moore, his two alleged accomplices in the robbery, in exchange for a reduced sentence of 16 to 18 years in prison.
“You could say, yes, I was making a deal to save my life,’’ Kimani Washington said.
Defense attorneys say that Kimani Washington lied to authorities about his role in the crime to avoid life in prison, but Assistant District Attorney Edmond Zabin has told the jury to listen carefully to his testimony, some of which will be backed up by other witnesses.
Kimani Washington, who has a string of assaults and drug arrests on his record, testified Tuesday that he and Moore planned to rob Simba Martin, a drug dealer, of cash and cocaine. He said they recruited Edward Washington as getaway driver.
Kimani Washington admitted he had changed his story several times during interviews with police: He said the guns used in the crime were his and could have his fingerprints on them, but in a later interview he told investigators that he had no idea how one of the weapons ended up in his home.
