Convicted murderer acquitted on appeal

A man convicted of murder and sentenced to life in Prison has had that verdict set aside on appeal. On March second, Edward Barona was found guilty of the June 2005 murder of David Vasquez on Orange Street in Belize City. Today, however, the Court of Appeal quashed the conviction and ordered a verdict of acquittal. In reaching its conclusion, the appellate court pointed to the trial summation of Justice Troadio Gonzalez in which he referred to the testimony of the prosecution’s sole eyewitness as “confused and contradictory.” If that was true, the Court of Appeal said the judge should have been bound to withdraw the case from the jury and direct an acquittal. As happy as the newly acquitted Barona would have been to walk free, he will remain behind bars for at least a while longer. He is on remand on a charge of attempted murder arising out of an incident that occurred the night before the murder of David Vasquez. That trial will take place during the upcoming Supreme Court session beginning June nineteenth.