Witness says he saw accused kill Tyrone Castillo

Trenton Smith

A Belize City murder case, two and a half years in the making, got underway today.  Trenton Smith is accused of gunning down twenty-nine year old Tyrone Castillo on the night of September thirtieth, 2007 while he was on Mayflower Street in the Bailar area also known as “Ghost Town.”  Castillo was at the wake of George “Junior Ballz” McKenzie, who was once the leader of the Crips gang. In today’s trial seven witnesses testified on behalf of the prosecution including the main witness, Jervis Valencia, who claimed he saw Trenton Smith gun down Castillo.  According to Valencia, Castillo had just left their gathering and was heading across the street into a yard to get some chicken for them to eat at the wake, when Smith grabbed Castillo and pulled out a firearm from his pants waist and fired the deadly shots. According to Doctor Mario Estradabran, Smith was shot five times, once in his back, right side of the flank; and three times to the stomach area all at close range.  In his defense, Smith testified under oath and told the court that he was innocent of the charge and that the star witness lied.  At the time of the shooting, Smith claimed he was at home watching movies and playing video games. This Friday, the Supreme Court jury is expected to pronounce a verdict.