Murder rap dropped; Willacey now charged with perjury

Bruce Willacey, the young man who changed his story in his friend’s murder trial and was then himself charged with murder, has now had those charges withdrawn and replaced by a count of perjury. The swap took place this morning in the court of Magistrate Sharon Fraser based on a written request from the Director of Public Prosecutions. The charge of Contradicting Previous Evidence was read and no plea was taken. Bail was set at three thousand dollars plus one surety and the date of April tenth was earmarked for Willacey’s next court appearance. Willacey had initially been granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony against Earl Young for the 2004 murder of Euwin Armstrong, but at the trial he declined to testify, saying that his initial statement had been coerced by police.