Victim could not identify attacker, attempted murder case ends

The last of four men, who had been on trial for attempted murder, was today declared free to go after the case fell apart.  Michael Gladden, Kenroy Caine, Alex Smith and Michael Saldivar were charged for attempted murder in the stabbing of taxi-driver Leon Young in November 2008. Young was beaten savagely, stabbed and left for dead after six persons, four men and two women caught his taxi and ordered him to drive them to a park on the north side of Belize City. Three of the accused – Caine, Smith and Saldivar – got to leave the court early after the DPP issued instructions at the start of the case on Wednesday that charges against them were being withdrawn because of a lack of evidence. Gladden alone stood to face justice for the stabbing of Leon Young, but after Young claimed that he could not identify his attackers because it was five years since the incident had occurred, there was nothing the prosecutor could do. Gladden indicated that there was no case to answer since the victim could not identify him and there was nothing to tie him to the stabbing, and Justice Troadio Gonzalez agreed and directed the jury to return a not guilty verdict against Gladden. Initially four men and two women had been charged for the crime, but the charges against the two women were withdrawn at the lower court.