Kenneth Dobson Acquitted of Murder after Three Years in Remand

There has not been a guilty conviction for murder since the beginning of the year and in fact, as recent as last Thursday, three men walked free of the charge. Well, just after midday, a jury of eight men and four women stepped into the deliberating room to decide the fate of thirty-one year old Kenneth Dobson, who is being tried for murder of twenty-two year old Erwin Staine. The murder victim was gunned down on North Creek Street, Belize City on June first, 2011.  Erwin was hanging out in front of his home when a gun man pulled up in the area, exchanged words with him, then opened fire shooting him to the chest, abdomen and leg. The cold blooded murder was witnessed by Deborah Lee Staine, Erwin’s sister. As the only witness to the homicide, she testified at the commencement of the trial and before leaving the stand she told the court that it was Dobson who fired the shots that killed her brother at around ten o’clock on the night of the murder. Deborah Lee also told the court that after shooter fired the fatal shots, she saw her brother fall to the ground.  She then began to scream and that’s when Dobson looked at her for a minute and she recognized him as someone she knew.

Kenneth Dobson

In his defense, Dobson chose to give an unsworn testimony saying that on the night of the murder he was home alone. And that the police went to his house and later took him to station. He also told the court that he had no problem with Erwin and that in fact they were friends. Dobson also said in his statement that he was not even at the murder scene when Erwin was killed.  In summing up, Judge Troadio Gonzalez directed the jurors they have to deliberate on four issues: a guilty or a not guilty decision for murder, and if they don’t believe Dobson had any intention to kill Erwin, they must deliberate on either a guilty or not guilty for the alternative charge of manslaughter. Just before five o’clock, Dobson walked out of the Supreme Court a free man when the jury found him not guilty.  Kenneth Dobson was on remand since June first, 2011.