The brother of homicide victim Todd Thomas, brought to Connecticut from a New York prison to testify Monday at the murder trial of Thomas' accused killers, refused to be sworn in by a court officer and ranted for several minutes about civil rights issues before correction officers removed him from the courtroom.

John A. "John John" Thomas Jr., 35, is considered a key player in the events leading up to the shooting death of his 30-year-old brother Todd on Dec. 23, 2006. The state alleges that John Thomas, under the influence of PCP, had given two valuable gold chains, including one with a Jesus medallion studded with diamonds, to Gerjuan "Cali" Tyus. According to testimony and documents, Todd Thomas was feuding with Tyus about getting the jewelry back and exchanged gunfire with Tyus on at least one other occasion before he was fatally shot as he stood outside of Ernie's Cafe on Bank Street in New London smoking a cigarette.

Police allege that Darius "P-Nut" Armadore, an "enforcer" for Tyus, shot Todd Thomas. Tyus and Armadore are on trial together in Superior Court in Norwich.

Connecticut authorities last week retrieved "John John" Thomas from a central New York prison where he is serving a 12-year sentence for a narcotics crime. His grandmother and other family members watched from the courtroom gallery Monday morning as correction officers led "John John" into the courtroom to question him outside the presence of the jury before he began his testimony. He launched into an extended speech that invoked the names of figures and events in African-American history, from Nat Turner to Malcolm X and from Jim Crow laws to the shooting last summer of a 12-year-old boy in Chicago.

At one point Thomas looked over at Tyus and Armadore and said, "Let the dudes go," and "I plead the Fifth (Amendment)." He referenced his own son and nephew and said, "We gotta get rich." He refused several requests by Judge Arthur C. Hadden and prosecutor Paul J. Narducci to stop talking. Correction officers forcibly removed him after a brief struggle. His family members cried to see the spectacle, and Narducci apologized to them and the defense.

"I'm sorry on behalf of the people of the state," Narducci said. "I did not anticipate that."

Defense attorneys John E. Franckling and Christopher Duby moved for a mistrial after Thomas' removal from the courtroom, saying that the 16-member jury, which was assembled in a room adjacent to the courtroom, must have heard the ruckus. The judge denied the motion, and explained to jurors upon their entry into the courtroom that "the disturbance has been handled" and will not have an impact on the proceedings.

Thomas' relatives, including his widow Keri Carter-Thomas, say "John John" Thomas' testimony, under duress, at the 2006 murder trial in New London of Michael "Miz" Smith, had caused problems for "John John" on the street and that "John John," "dusted" on PCP, was trying to make amends when he gave the gold chains to Tyus, who Carter-Thomas said was one of Miz's "people." "John John" Thomas was incarcerated when Tyus and Armadore allegedly conspired to kill Todd Thomas.

"He was trying to prove to Cali that he was no snitch," Keri Carter-Thomas said in an interview Monday afternoon.

Moving on after Thomas' outburst, Narducci and fellow prosecutor David J. Smith resumed calling witnesses, including Lakiesha Lminggio, a cousin of the Thomas brothers who was in the bar with Todd Thomas the night he was killed. They also called Takeisha Betts, the mother of Tyus' child, who had rented a gray Chevrolet that Tyus and Armadore allegedly used the night of the shooting.

New London Police Capt. Lawrence Keating and Detective Richard Curcuro both assumed the witness stand for a second time Monday afternoon as the prosecution continued to introduce statements and items of evidence collected during the lengthy investigation that led to Tyus and Armadore's arrest.

k.florin@theday.com

Twitter: @KFLORIN