Convicted murderer’s appeal dismissed

Wilfred Lauriano, who is on death row for the murder of Diego Tzul at the Queen’s Square Market in 1993 had his appeal dismissed last week by the three judges of the Court of Appeal. His attorney Kirk Anderson had filed the petition after another man, Jason Clarke, reportedly indicated to him that he and an associate, Kenrick Hendy had actually committed the robbery and that Hendy had shot Tzul. However Hendy was killed just a few weeks after the Queen’s Square shooting and although Clarke testified earlier this year in the Court of Appeal, the Justices Kenneth George, Nicholas Liverpool and Manuel Sosa found his statements contradictory and were unable to accept the testimony as true. They upheld the 1994 Supreme Court conviction. Lauriano was identified by the victim before his death in two separate identification parades. Tzul’s wife, the victim of the robbery attempt, also identified Lauriano as the man who shot Diego after he tried to defend her against the attack. According to the Registrar General’s office, Lauriano may still appeal to the Privy Council. Kirk Anderson told the Amandala newspaper this week that he intends to do just that. Since the Privy Council has previously ruled that no one can be executed after waiting on death row for more than five years, the pending appeal may mean Lauriano’s sentence could be commuted to life in prison. On December second, just two weeks away, it will be five years since he was sentenced to death by Justice George Meerabux.