The verdict is in and it’s…
Justin Orillana
A jury of twelve deliberated well into the night on Tuesday in the trial of a man who was charged for the brutal murder of his father. At around eight-thirty p.m., the accused Hattieville resident, twenty-three year old Justin Orillana, was found not guilty of the murder of Cecil Thompson, who was stabbed to death in March of 2007. But on the alternative charge of Manslaughter, the jury could not agree on a verdict. As a result of the hung jury, Orillana will be retried for manslaughter and he was indicted today before Justice Troadio John Gonzalez in the Supreme Court. Orillana was released on bail of five thousand dollars after spending five and a half years on remand and he is due back in court on January thirteenth, 2013. Thompson was stabbed as many as twelve times all over the body, including once to the forehead, which split his skull in two. The incident occurred at Thompson’s house on Vernon Street; there were no eye witnesses and no circumstantial evidence to link Orillana to the murder. Prosecutor, Thalia-Megan Francis relied heavily on two caution statements that police claim Orillana had given, saying that he went to his father’s house and repeatedly asked for his belongings but was ignored. He reportedly told the cops that he blacked out and when he recovered, he had already stabbed his father so he caught a bus to Hattieville and threw away the bloody knife. Orilliana, who was represented by attorney Carlo Mason, was only seventeen years at the time of the murder. He maintains that he is innocent and denied giving the statements to police.
How frustrating! Hon. PM, you’re a clever lawyer, and I’m sure you want to protect the people of your nation from murderers.
So why don’t you equip every police formation with little digital voice recorders, so that there can be no dispute whether a man confessed or not! I just bought a good one yesterday, cost $80, and the store had others for less.
I’m sure this fruitless investigation and trial cost a lot more than $80.
Any Belizean with the brains God gave a goose would buy recording equipment for police, so why won’t GOB?
Without basic equipment to do their jobs, the police are just going through the motions, and we are not protected.
God bless this country.
Storm, I thought the police were given some equipment from the Houston Police Department, while a man named Harold Hurtt whom I know was Chief of Police. Where are those equipment. I believe they got cameras and recoarders, I am not sure. I agree with you, record and video the interogation.
This guy admitted he had a problem with his father over his belongings, he just blocked out and low and behold he wakes up his father is dead. Such hate between parent and child, it is unreal. These children develop an angry streak because of how they are raised. They are talked to like they are garbage, called names and slapped around. I hear parents tell their kids all the time how stupid they are. These children are a product of their environment, parents are so frustrated with trying to provide, usually in a single parent home, that they stay angry with the children that they gave birth to. I pray for my country everyday.
Al, thanks for reminding us about the gifts we received for the police. Hon. John Saldivar needs to answer the question, where is the recording equipment and cameras now?
On a different point, I read that the victim was his stepfather, not his biological father. I can tell you from experience that the step relationship can be a disaster, no matter what the stepparent tries, because sometimes the stepchild just wants his natural mother and father to get back together, and will HATE the “new” parent, no matter what. That’s a chapter of my life I’m glad to have almost forgotten!
Let the murderers walk free Mr. Barrow, pain and sorrow. that’s all you have to give us.Our justice system is a big joke. Our country spend do much money to train lawyers at UWI and Guyana, England etc and we have such a shameful conviction rate. maybe the $ we spent on you lawyers and judges should have been given instead to the parents of these children to feed and educate them so that they do not kill later and get away with it and have the entire country under siege. Shame on all you lawyers, police prosecutors, judges mein. How sad for Belize