Meat shop owner convicted of Manslaughter

The new session of the Supreme Court opened on Monday and today a jury of five men and four women deliberated for almost two hours in the court of Justice Adolph Lucas in the retrial of thirty-eight year old Edward Reyes. Reyes, the owner of Prime Cut Meats, was found guilty of Manslaughter in the fatal shooting of fifty-three year old Norman “Butta” Ferguson which occurred on January twenty second, 2005. The jury’s verdict was unanimous. Justice Lucas has deferred sentencing until Wednesday, January twenty-eighth, in order to give Reyes’ attorney, Ellis Arnold, time to prepare a plea for mitigation. The prosecution, represented by crown counsel Trinia Young was able to prove that on the morning of January twenty-second, 2005. Reyes was unjustified in shooting Ferguson once in his chest while Ferguson was in his meat shop.

The chief witness for the prosecution was Raymond Lord, who saw the incident unfold. Lord said Ferguson parked his bicycle outside of the meat shop and went inside empty handed. Reyes approached Ferguson and when he was one foot away, Lord heard a bang and saw Ferguson jump backwards. Ferguson had blood on his chest and he stumbled outside and fell on the pavement. Lord testified that Reyes came to the door, grabbed Ferguson’s bicycle, and placed it in the shop.

In his testimony, Reyes claimed he was acting in self defense when he drew his pistol at Ferguson who allegedly entered the shop demanding money from him. Reyes says that when he was grabbed by the shirt, he drew his gun and it fired accidentally, intending to shoot Ferguson on the shoulders. Reyes was granted a retrial after he made an appeal to the Court in his first trial.