Rafael Mencias Guilty of Manslaughter in Death of Phillip Hall

Rafael Mencias

Shortly after one o’clock this afternoon, a jury of six men and six women stepped into the deliberating room to determine the fate of Rafael Mencias accused of the July twenty-sixth, 2010 for the murder of Philip Moses Hall. Four hours later, Mencias was found guilty of manslaughter in a unanimous decision by the jury.  The allegation by the prosecution against Mencias was that he had specific intent to kill but jurors were not convinced and Mencias was instead found guilty of the lesser charge. Sentencing is set for December seventeenth 2015.  Hall was stabbed fourteen times in his apartment in Carolina Village, Corozal District.  Mencias’ murder trial began back in October of this year before Justice Herbert Lord in the Orange Walk Supreme Court. During the trial, the prosecutor called eleven witnesses to testify. The accused also gave sworn testimony telling the court that the stabbing took place when Hall grabbed him by the throat after turning the lights off in the apartment. In the trial, Mencias was represented by attorneys of Legal Aid, Michelle Trapp Zuniga and Baja Shoman.   The crown was represented by Javier Chan of the D.P.P.’s office.