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The trial of Constable Noel Maitland for the 2022 murder of his girlfriend, Donna-Lee Donaldson, has started in the Home Circuit Court.
A seven-member jury comprising four men and three women was selected Tuesday morning before presiding judge Justice Leighton Pusey.
The prosecutor in her opening statement said Ms. Donaldson left behind memories of a pattern of behaviour and evidence that will prove that she was killed.
Sophia Lugg, the mother of Ms. Donaldson, took the stand at 2:27 p.m. as the first witness for the Crown.
Marshalled by lead prosecutor Claudette Thompson, Ms. Lugg broke down as she recalled the last time she saw her daughter. She told the court that on July 11, her third child left home with Mr. Maitland in his black BMW. She said around 8 o'clock the next morning, Ms. Donaldson called her, asking that she feed her dog, China.
She said moments later, she called her daughter multiple times but her phone went unanswered. The mother said she continued to call up to 4 o'clock in the afternoon because she had a doctor's appointment and Donna-Lee was the only one who would take her to the doctor.
She said she tried reaching her daughter several more times without success.
The witness said on July 13, minutes after 10 a.m., Mr. Maitland, who she began speaking with weeks after her daughter introduced her to him as a friend, called her asking if she had heard from Donna-Lee.
Ms. Lugg said she asked the man, who her daughter would leave with once or twice per week, what sort of question he was asking.
She said: "Donna-Lee left with you on Monday night. How dare you ask me if I heard from her?"
The woman said he replied, "Mom, calm down. We had a little dispute, nothing big. She got upset and I was upset too, and she left."
Wiping her face with a black handkerchief, Ms. Lugg said she asked him what he meant and whether her daughter had called a taxi or left with someone. She said it was at that point she suggested he check the cameras in his apartment complex.
Ms. Lugg said Mr. Maitland told her that her suggestion was a good idea, however, he was not at home and promised to call back.
The trial was subsequently adjourned until Wednesday for Ms. Lugg to continue her testimony.
The prosecution is relying on circumstantial evidence to prove its case. The Crown is to call 32 witnesses.
Constable Maitland, who has been in custody since July 27, 2022, is charged with murder and preventing the lawful burial of a corpse.
Ms. Donaldson, a 24-year-old social media influencer, went missing on July 13, 2022 after she was last seen at Maitland's home two days earlier.
Mr. Maitland is represented by attorneys Christopher Townsend, Chadwick Berry, Sanjay Smith and Kaysian Kennedy.
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