Viola Pook to be retried in May for the murder of her common-law husband.

Viola Pook

On March fourteenth, 2014, the Court of Appeal set aside a conviction on fifty-six year old Viola Pook for the murder of her common-law-husband, forty-eight year old Orlando Vasquez, and ordered a retrial. Pook was escorted back to court this morning before Justice Adolph Lucas and was informed that her retrial has been set for May twentieth, 2014. While waiting for the prison bus, Pook told News Five that she was happy with a new trial date and that she is confident that on a second trial she will be freed of all charges. Vasquez was set on fire sustaining second degree burns to seventy percent of his body on December thirty-first, 2008 at the couple’s home in the village of Rancho Dolores. Pook was convicted for his murder on July 2011, and sentenced to life imprisonment. She appealed that decision and in March of this year, the murder conviction was squashed and her life sentence set aside by the justices of the Court of Appeal.  The justices were of the view that Pook did not get a fair trial.  They based their decision on a remark made by Pook to police.  When she was initially questioned by police on the day of the incident, the police found Vasquez suffering from burns to his body, she reportedly said “da me catch him fire.” But she was never cautioned by the police and the statement was the only evidence that linked her to the fire victim. Under those circumstances, the Court of Appeal order a retrial.