January Supreme Court sitting to be another record session

The January sitting of the Supreme Court is expected to be another record setting session, with more than fifty cases already in the dock and more still anticipated to be accepted for trial.

According to court officials, there are twelve murders, seven attempted murders, three rapes, six incidents of carnal knowledge, two attempted rapes, one incest case, one manslaughter, five manslaughter by negligence, and one theft.

One case expected to be of note is the trial of twenty-four year old Chadrick DeBride and twenty-seven year old Winston Jones for the murder of Police Officer Nedi Reymundo. P.C. Reymundo, who was not on duty or in uniform, was shot in the head on Christmas Eve in 2003 just as he exited a barber shop on West Canal in Belize City. No motive has been put forward for the crime.

Another matter that stands out from the list is a charge of preparation for murder against Shelton Tillett, Brian Herrera, and Micah Thompson. The trio was charged with the rarely used offence after they were found with several items including weapons and masks.

The only woman slated to stand trial in the Supreme Court this session has been identified to us as Bernadette Saldivar who is jointly charged with Jeffrey Reneau for depositing forged foreign checks to the Treasury Department in Belize City and then stealing the equivalent local currency.

The January sitting is scheduled to begin on the seventeenth of this month. And while the bench is threatening to buckle under the case loads, this week, the Senate has confirmed the appointment of Justice Michelle Arana to the Supreme Court. That appointment took effect on January first.