Witnesses fail to testify; accused murderers walk free

In the Supreme Court, two men accused of murdering Kevin Parks in 2006 walked free today when key witnesses in the case failed to provide sufficient evidence against them. Supreme Court Justice Adolph Lucas ordered the jury of ten women and two men to find twenty-four year old James Escarpeta and twenty-two year old Brandon Tillett not guilty of Murder after Crown Counsel Trienia Young closed the case. This was because one key witness, Sherlett Arnold, refused to testify while the other, Sheena Barrow, claimed that she could not remember most of the details in the statement she gave to police. Two other witnesses were called to the stand; Park’s grandmother Carmen Ifield and Scenes of Crime Technician Jason Reneau, but their testimonies only satisfied three of the five elements needed to prove murder. Justice Lucas therefore concluded that there was not enough evidence to link Tillett and Escarpeta to the crime. Additional charges of Attempted Murder and Use of Deadly Means of Harm that were laid against the two for injuries caused to two other persons on the scene of the crime were also withdrawn.

The charges date back to November thirteenth, 2006 when Parks was accosted by two gunmen at his Euphrates Avenue home. Parks tried to run away but was pursued down the street and gunned down in front of Vin Hong Supermarket. His uncle, Charles Moss and neighbour Jose Pech suffered bullet wounds in the attack. Moss was left paralyzed from the waist down because of a gunshot to left ribcage and Pech was hit in the arms and legs. In court Escarpeta was represented by Attorney Simeon Sampson, while Attorney Ernest Staine appeared for Tillett.