Michael Quan freed of arson charge

This afternoon a jury of five men and four women deliberated for little less than three hours and then acquitted twenty-eight year old Michael Quan of Arson. The decision was unanimous and Quan walked out of the court of Justice Michelle Arana a free man. One year ago, a van belonging to Kingsley Estelle was set on fire and while it was not completely gutted, the blaze caused damages to Estelle’s vehicle. A week later, Quan, who is Kingsley’s neighbor, was charged. The van was parked in front of Estelle’s Bachelors Avenue home when it was set on fire on the night of November seventeenth, 2008. Quan and two brothers, Brian and Scott Castillo, were at Estelle’s home on the night of the incident. A confrontation broke between the men and while Estelle placed Quan at the scene of the crime, he could not say if he had seen his neighbour set the van on fire. Estelle testified under oath, denied the allegations and called his friend Andre Fuller, as a character witness. Prosecutor Cecil Ramirez, for the D.P.P.’s office called three witnesses to the stand, including Estelle and Jiro Sosa, the Scenes of Crime personnel, and PC Saundia Henry. Quan was represented by Hubert Elrington.