Junie Balls goes to jail

It had been twenty-five years since attorney Simeon Sampson had prosecuted a case, but the lawyer most famous for his talents as a defense attorney and his zeal to appeal death penalty cases, won his case against George “Junie Balls” McKenzie and Eugene Neal today. Chief Magistrate Herbert Lord sentenced McKenzie and Neal to four years in prison for possession of a prohibited firearm. The case was sensational not only because McKenzie is the former leader of a gang and Neal attempted to kill himself during the trial rather than face prison again, but also because it was somewhat of an experiment on the part of the new Attorney General Godfrey Smith. The Attorney General’s Ministry hired Sampson, a private attorney to try and take a more aggressive stance on crime. George McKenzie and Eugene Neal were arrested in October at a Belize City gas station. The taxi they were riding in was searched and police located a sub machine gun and ammunition in the vehicle although both maintained during the trial that they had no knowledge of the discovery. The trial was interrupted in January when Neal failed to show up in court and was discovered to have attempted suicide in his home. The defense was represented by Lutchman Sooknandan.