John Williams beats murder rap, gets manslaughter

Today a jury found John Williams not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter for the death of Canuto Velasquez. The nine women and three men deliberated for four hours before coming to their verdict. On April fifth, 2007, the two men were drinking when Velasquez allegedly threatened Williams and Williams delivered a fatal blow to Velasquez’s head. During trial, Williams, who is Velasquez’s step-son-in-law, told the court that he was threatened with a hammer and defended himself hitting Velasquez with a stick. Justice Adolph Lucas has deferred sentencing until Tuesday. Williams was defended by attorney Simeon Sampson and Senior Crown Counsel Cecil Ramirez represented the prosecution.