Norman McKenzie will serve seven years for shooting

In November of 2006, seventeen year old Norman Mckenzie was charged with the attempted murder of his brother-in-law, Simon Castillo. On January twenty-first of this year he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of Use of Deadly Means of Harm. But McKenzie changed his mind last Friday before Justice Troadio Gonzalez and said he shot Castillo in self defense. McKenzie told the court that he shot Castillo in the back after Castillo had assaulted him with a machete. Justice Gonzalez then suspended sentencing and told McKenzie that because of this admission, he would have to plead not guilty and stand trial for the initial charge of attempted murder. The judge went on leave and the trial was set to start before Justice Herbert Lord, but McKenzie changed his mind again and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of Use of Deadly Means of Harm with Intent to Cause Grievous Harm. Today Lord sentenced him to seven years in prison, two years more than the minimum. McKenzie appeared in court undefended while Crown Counsel Douglas Carr prosecuted. Mckenzie, along with Jason Gentle who is currently on remand, will both be brought back to court later this year to be tried for the murder of sixteen year old Faron Felix.