Brandon Baptist is Freed of Murder

A Belize City man who was on remand for a 2016 murder along with two brothers is tonight home after he was told he was a free man. Thirty-four-year-old Brandon Baptist, along with brothers John and Sheldon Grinage, was charged jointly with the murder of Stann Creek resident, Mariano Castillo who was allegedly attacked, beaten badly and stabbed. The violent incident occurred in the vicinity of the Administration Building in the Saint Martin’s de Porres area. Castillo was hanging out with his common-law wife, Kamisha Roches on Police Street when her ex-boyfriend, John Grinage, showed up and threatened to kill Castillo. Castillo and Roches decided to go home, but John along with his brother, Sheldon Grinage and friend, Brandon Baptist, stopped them on their way home.  Reports are that the men attacked Castillo stabbing him in the stomach.  Castillo fled, but collapsed on the side walk on Mahogany Street where he later died from his injuries. Today, Justice Colin Williams ruled that the crown did not have evidence to prove a joint enterprise and that Baptist was not armed at the time of the murder and so he was discharged.  The crown also had no evidence to prove that Baptist knew that John had a knife at the time. The Grinage brothers remain on remand.