Orel Leslie, et al. Back in Court for Murder Retrial

The main witnesses in the murder retrial of three men, accused with the murder of B.D.F. soldier James Norales, testified today before Justice Colin Williams. He is Aron Paquiul, a cousin of Norales. The accused are Tyrone Meighan, Orel Leslie and Brandon Baptist. Paquiul avoided looking at the accused men for most of the proceedings except when he had to point them out. He recalled the events of November twenty-third, 2012, within days of the murder of Norales.  Paquiul and Norales met Leslie and Michael Godoy at the corner of Lacroix Boulevard and Linda Vista Street in Belize City. According to Paquiul, Leslie accused Norales of working for the police and threatened to kill him.  He also claimed that while on Police Street, Godoy accused Norales of sending the GSU to his yard to look for weed and ammunition.  The witness also said that Godoy told Norales that informers have to die.  According to Paquiul, three days later, they ran short of drinks while at Leslie’s house on Linda Vista Street. He claimed that the group and Norales left in a black car to get more drinks. They returned without Norales and Leslie wore only boxer shorts and appeared to be scared.  Norales bullet riddled body was found at the junction of George Price Highway and Faber’s Road. Paquiul also testified that while they were being taken to the police station, Leslie said that “Debo do lone rass, he did not have to kill the man.” Debo is allegedly the alias of Meighan.  The accused trio is represented by attorneys Bryan Neal, Anthony Sylvestre and Ellis Arnold. In 2015 the men were acquitted, the D.P.P. appealed and the Court of Appeal ordered a new trial.