Justice Campbell said based on the language the author must be of the view that ‘lizard’ was not going to return.
The judge said one way to look at it was that it spoke to disposal and the author must have known that it was unlikely for lizard to surface after sending that text message.
He remarked that it would be a most uncouth police who would have made up such a text message unless he knew for a fact that lizard would not return.
The judge made the comment as he reviewed the evidence of Detective Sergeant Patrick Linton who retrieved text messages, voice notes and images from a cellphone said to belong to Kartel.
Justice Campbell reminded the jury that the defence had argued that the text messages were manipulated and tampered with.
He also told them that the defence had suggested to Linton that someone else had access to phone and that he put material on the phone.
Justice Campbell told the jury that it is for them to decide whether someone interfered with the phone while it was in the custody of the police.
He also told them that they must look at what all the text messages are saying and see how they can assist them in their decision.
Kartel and Kahira Jones, Shane Williams, André St John, and entertainer Shawn Campbell, also called Shawn Storm are on trial for Williams’ August 2011 murder.
He was allegedly killed over two missing guns.