From Murder to Manslaughter; Court of Appeal Changes Conviction

Edwin Hernan Castillo

The Court of Appeal is in its second week of sittings; today convicted murderer, Edwin Hernan Castillo saw his conviction substituted with manslaughter. Some two years ago, forty-year-old Castillo was convicted of murder for the June 2012 stabbing death of his friend, Alberto Ack in Yo Creek Village, Orange Walk. Ack and Castillo, who were friends, were socializing and drinking in the village. They got into a dispute and Castillo pulled out a knife and stabbed Ack to the chest. Castillo’s attorney, Anthony Sylvester, submitted nine grounds of appeal, but only one was taken into account. Senior Crown Counsel, Sheneiza Smith conceded to that ground; which indicated that Justice Herbert Lord erred by failing to take all relevant matters into account in determining whether the appellant had the intent to kill. As such, the judges of the Appellate Court replaced the murder conviction to manslaughter. So how many years will Castillo now spend behind bars? Well in May 2017, Justice Lord sentenced him to twenty-five years in prison. President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Manuel Sosa will hand down a new sentence for Castillo following submissions made by the crown and the defense. Until then, Castillo was remanded to the central prison.