Murder Trial Ends in Acquittal and Hung Jury
Shortly before nine on Thursday night after deliberating for over four hours, the second murder trial of Cordel Flores and Warren Lewis ended in an acquittal and hung jury. In the Supreme Court, Flores was acquitted of the 2009 murder of Alberto Braddick Allen, after a unanimous jury decision. But in the case of Warren, the panel of jury could not reach a unanimous decision. Lewis had allegedly confessed in a caution statement that he killed Allen and later reportedly told police where he dumped the body. Of the twelve jurors, eleven found Warren guilty and that resulted in a hung jury. In what is said to be one of the longest criminal trials on record in Belize, the trial started in November of last year and concluded on Thursday. Justice Troadio Gonzalez, however, told Warren that he would have to return to the Belize Central Prison because the Director of Public Prosecution may indict him for murder, which may result in a new trial. Lewis’ attorney, Oscar Selgado, explained what transpired.
Oscar Selgado, Attorney
“The position for the defense is that confession was adduced firstly by promise of a favor to ASP Alford Grinage and secondly, when Lewis, in fact made a second confession to Sgt Palomo at the time, now Inspector Palomo, that it was induced by threat; by force. That had been the case through-out for the defense, that because of the circumstances the confession was not voluntarily given. It was then unlawful and could not have been admitted into evidence. I am happy to say that, the defense had pierced so many holes into the evidence adduced by the Crown and it became so tenuous that the jury couldn’t have found a unanimous decision and returned a verdict of guilty for Warren Lewis. It was a hung jury and it is now up to the D.P.P. to revisit all the evidence and relay this charge before the courts.”
Anita Nembhard
“Is it safe to say then that the prosecution’s case was a joint enterprise, but it is obvious that the jurors didn’t believe it to be joint, for them to separate and acquit and hung on the other. Could you comment on this?”
Oscar Selgado
Oscar Selgado
“That is very true. The evidence against Cordel Flores, the other person jointly charged with Warren Lewis, was indeed separate and distinct from that of Warren Lewis. Warren Lewis implicated himself by allegedly making an admission. In his admission, he at no time indicated to the court or to the police that Cordel Flores was a part of the killing. So it was just circumstantial evidence that Cordel Flores was found in the same vehicle with Warren Lewis and that Cordel Flores’ blood type matched the deceased. It was those weak evidence that the Crown sought to put forward to the jury in the hope of securing a conviction and the jury of course threw it out. So the case again, from the very beginning, was very weak against Cordel Flores and the Judge decided in the void aire as well, because a no case submission was done by Mrs Alifah Elrington Hyde, the attorney for Cordel Flores. So Misses Hyde was able to convince the jurors that her client had no part in it, and so he was acquitted out rightly last night by the jurors and he walked a free man.”
Anita Nembhard
“Now what does this say about Warren Lewis, who has been on remand for five years? When will he get this retrial?”
Oscar Selgado
“Well that is correct to say that Warren Lewis has been on remand for five and half years. This was will be his third trial in the same matter because he was already before a previous jury- that was discharged and this one was a hung jury. He will now go before a third jury. I am optimistic, cautiously optimistic. The evidence remains the same and I think he will have a better opportunity to exonerate himself before another jury.”
Warren and Flores were accused of killing Allen on August eighteenth in 2009. Allen, whose body was found on mile four on the Western Highway, was shot to the lower back, throat slit and a stick pushed inside his mouth.
RE: THE MURDER TRIAL FOR ALBERTO ALLEN.
How absurd can the JUSTICES of Belize be?! These TWO men had ALL the evidence needed to convict them and instead they are walking FREE? It’s just a matter of time before the other murderer is set free. Belize can only expect to experience more pain, agony death and more bloodshed. There is no Justice! Now lets review the story told that set Flores free. (Lewis admits that he shot Allen in the back and when he did not die, he cut his throat. Lewis then left the body by a dumpsite. This caution statement was given by Lewis on the August nineteenth, 2009, hours after he and Flores had been picked up while sitting inside Lewis’ Toyota car.(Now in 2015 the attorney Selgado says that Warren and Lewis was met by one armed man while two other was putting Alberto’s body in the trunk) Inside the car, police also found a pistol on the passenger seat. (Why would the ONLY armed man leave himself and the two others so vulnerable) Flores was seen with blood stains on his clothes which matched Allen’s blood type. In their defense, Lewis who was represented by attorney Oscar Selgado gave a dock statement with a different version saying that after returning to his car on Central American Boulevard, he met AN ARMED MAN who ordered him to drive to Faber’s Road. He claims THAT TWO OTHERS also got into the vehicle and placed what appeared to be a human body wrapped in a blue canvass into the trunk of the car. (Yet Lewis was able to describe EXACTLY how alberto was killed) He was then ordered to drive to the beach where the body was dumped and he drove them back to Faber’s Road where they disappeared. (So how was Lewis confession so ligit IF the men dumped the body and all Lewis and Flores had to do was be drivers?) Obviously it did because both Lewis and Flores ARE indeed the murderers themselves. Their saying THREE MAGICAL MEN were given a ride to dump the body and given a ride back to Fabers road but I’m confused how was Flores and Lewis able to do ALL this driving around, and got caught not too far from where the body was left???? now In the 2009 news, they never mentioned anything of the trunk just the bloody backseat. Lewis had blood on his clothes MATCHING the deceased, and to COVER that it was said Warren blood type is same as the VICTIM! Was Warren the one killed? Was he the one whose throat was Gutted out?! Now did he have any cuts or marks? If so it can only be marks given to him from the deceased victim who was trying to fight for his LIFE! And if he has no cuts or marks then its the deceased blood that Warren shed by his and his partner Flores hands. Now Lewis statment described EXACTLY the way the deceased was found! And now the attorney is saying no! The body was wrapped in a canvas and was put in the trunk by two different man and they just drove them to dump it. Then there is attorney Mrs. Hyde who said herself that their was blood in Flores fingernails. The story that was made up to cover that gruesome murder is well……. STUPID! Now did they take fingerprints on the pistol? Why would the magical people who dissappeared leave their weapon behind?! Haha what an ninconpoop! Okay so lets pretend Selgado make believe story is flawless and that the two magical dissapearing men put the body in the trunk. Well now that contradicts the 2009 police statement, according to the police who stopped the murderers, the back seat of the car was full of blood. It can only mean that these two men started to kill Alberto way before they got to the dump site. And lets pretend the magical men were in the back seat sitting so that they can get a ride to dump the body and then a ride back why were Warren and Lewis bloody on thier clothes and fingernails? ……why did the men not kill Flores and Lewis because they saw their FACES!! Why did they leave their gun for them? And don’t say to frame them because if that was so Flores and Lewis could have gotten rid of the gun but why get rid of a nice pistol especially if you had to make sacrifices to get it in the first place to commit their planned out murder crime. There was no threat! no harm to Warren and Flores!…. The police didn’t find them with the body it was already dumped. They killed Alberto Allen, they shot him in the back saw that he was still fighting to stay alive, then they start to cut his neck open and stuck a stick through his mouth, through his head to the ground. Alberto REST IN PEACE GOD WILL AVENGE YOUR DEATH…… WAKE UP PEOPLE OF BELIZE! WHY ARE WE SETTING THESE CRIMINALS FREE. Mrs. Hyde said she needs more evidence than them being in the car, well obviously they were in the car because THEY KILLED Alberto and THEY dumped the body. REALIZE WHEN GOD gives you visual evidence and DO NOT ALLOW SATAN TO BLIND YOU TOO THEM.
MAY GOD HELP US ALL.
From the moment I read the instructions given to the jury I knew these two would walk. Life in Belize is worth nothing. The biggest problem is that Belize people do not know how to evaluate information. Just listen to how statements are given to police. No justice, no punishment for a heinous killing. Sad situation.