4 inmates acquitted of drug trafficking charge for lack of evidence

In other court news, today Taedron Bennett and Joseph Kee, accused of the 2006 Brannon murders, along with two other prison inmates, Mark Seawell and Nicholas Guevarra, appeared in court to face trial for drug trafficking. The men were charged with the offence in March after a search of their cell turned up two hundred and forty-four grams or a half pound of weed. Chief witness, Rose Kelly, Kolbe Foundation’s Head of Security, testified today that she found a plastic bag which contained the marijuana in the bathroom of the cell and when she tried to find out from the inmates who the bag belonged to, no one took responsibility. Under cross examination by Attorney Dickie Bradley, Kelly admitted that the cells are frequently left open and that any inmate could enter at any time. And while the guard said three inmates were in the cell when she found the drugs, she could not identify which three. But the nail in the prosecution’s coffin came when Prosecutor Sgt. Ludwig Castillo could not provide the marijuana as evidence. As a result, Chief Magistrate Gabb ruled that the men had no charges to answer and they were returned to their cells. Bennett and Kee are awaiting trial for the murders of Philip and Kevin Brannon, Seawell is awaiting extradition to the U.S. for drug trafficking, while Guevarra is serving a life sentence.