Both the prosecution and the defense in a manslaughter case met with some degree of success today in the Court of Appeal. At the same time that Cardinal Smith, a police officer interdicted from duty and his attorney Oswald Twist were appealing his manslaughter by negligence conviction, the D.P.P. was arguing that it was too […]
Twenty-six year old Aniver Palacio walked out of court today a free man after being acquitted of all charges. After just over two hours of deliberation, a nine-member jury found Palacio not guilty of attempted murder, dangerous harm, and two counts of robbery against businessman Philip Gallaty. During the trial, witness for the defence, Frank […]
Two law enforcement officers accused of killing a Belize City youth will get a re-trial. That’s the ruling of the Court of Appeal handed down today for B.D.F. soldier Giovanni Gutierrez and Police Constable Dennis Palacio. According to the justices, the trial judge should have informed the jury in his address that the men were […]
On Wednesday, the official investigation into the death of twenty one year old Leslie Rogers Jr. will continue and perhaps conclude in Belize City Magistrate’s Court. Witnesses expected to testify before Magistrate Margaret Gabb Mckenzie and a seven member jury includes Albert Ciego, the Police Department’s firearms expert, forensic pathologists Doctors Mario Estradabran and Hugh […]
In other court news, a bicycle thief was this week sentenced to spend the next five years behind bars. Twenty five year old Carl Parham was found guilty of robbery by Magistrate Harry Hulett following his victim’s account of the incident. According to Juan Cucul, around seven on the night of October twelfth, he was […]
Attorneys representing Jeffrey Prosser today presented their case in the Supreme Court, seeking to restore his ownership of the special share in BTL. That share and the rights it confers was taken away from the American Investor by the Minister of Public Utilities acting under a statutory instrument that had been passed by the National […]
Meanwhile, a police officer found guilty of rape has been sentenced to spend the next twelve years behind bars. After mitigation pleas from his attorney and former superior officers, this morning Evan Reynolds was ordered to stand to hear his fate. Justice Adolph Lucas told the convicted man, “Mr. Reynolds you slip, you mek all […]
A Belize City man has been arrested and charged in connection with a shooting that occurred last month. This afternoon twenty-one year old Lionel Neal was arraigned for the attempted murder, attempted robbery and dangerous harm of Kareem Wright on February eighteenth. As the offences are indictable, bail was denied and Chief Magistrate Herbert Lord […]
A Sandhill resident has been sentenced to seven years in jail. This morning twenty-year old Tyrone Davis pled guilty to aggravated burglary in the courtroom of Chief Magistrate Herbert Lord. Upon hearing that the maximum sentence for the charge is twenty years, Davis’s older brother begged the judge to go easy him. Taking the plea […]
A Belize City man was today read charges of aggravated burglary and aggravated assault after he tried to interfere with the administration of justice. Twenty-one year old Loren Carr appeared before Chief Magistrate Herbert Lord and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was remanded to prison until his next court date on April twelfth. […]
A Belize City businessman has been found guilty of manslaughter. After deliberating for about two hours, a jury of eight men and one woman came back to court with the unanimous verdict against thirty-four year old Edward Reyes. Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh has set March seventeenth as the date for mitigation and sentencing. On January […]
A trial in the Supreme Court was halted today after the prosecution convinced the judge that the defendant might not get a fair trial. In February, forty-four year old Valentine Ferguson pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by careless conduct. But when he appeared in court on March second for sentencing, his lawyer […]
Orange Walk police are giving credit to fingerprinting technology for securing a burglary conviction. Sometime between December thirtieth and January first, someone broke into the Trial Farm home of Manuel Polanco and stole almost three thousand dollars worth of jewellery. During their investigation into the incident, the recently revamped Scenes of Crime Unit lifted a […]
The Belize Court of Appeal began its first quarterly sitting for 2006 on Tuesday with a slate of fourteen criminal cases. Of note is that four of those appeals are for crimes committed by law enforcement officers. Former superintendent of police Ewart Itza is back in court, this time appealing a Supreme Court decision. According […]
A Ladyville man has been sentenced to twenty-five years for a string of break-ins. Today Emeterio Reyes appeared before Chief Magistrate Herbert Lord where he pleaded guilty to five separate counts of burglary. As a result, he was given five individual five year sentences, but because they are to run concurrently, Reyes will only be […]
The case of man indicted for the attempted murder of his girlfriend has reached the Supreme Court after the Director of Public Prosecutions appeared before the Chief Justice this week to protest the decision to grant the accused bail. Kirk Anderson formally applied for bail to be overturned for Abdiel Sandoval, after San Ignacio Magistrate […]
A Belizean extradited on drug related charges has been convicted in the States. Robert Hertular was found guilty by a jury in U.S. Federal Court of threatening to kill a Belize based D.E.A. agent as well as conspiracy to import cocaine. The offenses date to 2001 and involve the seizure of over a ton of […]
The coroner’s inquest into the death of Leslie Rogers Junior has entered its third day. That inquiry was delayed, however, when two witnesses summoned to appear before Magistrate Margaret Gabb-McKenzie failed to show up. When police officers were dispatched to find and bring the two to court, it was discovered that one of them has […]
A scheduled sentencing in the Supreme Court had its own delay of justice when instead of a wrist slap, a Belize City taxi driver was given a trial date. Forty-four year old Valentine Ferguson appeared before Justice Adolph Lucas this morning to hear his fate after pleading guilty to two counts of causing death by […]
A man has pled guilty to charges arising from a double traffic fatality. On Monday, forty-four year old Valentine Ferguson was slated to be tried for two counts of manslaughter by negligence in the courtroom of Justice Adolph Lucas. But before the proceedings formally began, Ferguson opted to plead guilty to the lesser charge of […]
The fate of a man accused of murder is uncertain tonight after the case against him ended with a hung jury. According to court reports, the four women and eight men who heard the trial of twenty-seven year old Jamie Dawson retired to deliberate around three on Friday afternoon. But five hours later, they remained […]
Two people accused of ripping off the Treasury Department walked out of court as free citizens after the charges against them were withdrawn. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has entered a nolle prosequi motion in connection with charges of theft against Jeffrey Reneau and Bernadette Saldivar. The two were arrested by police […]
A Belize City chain snatcher has been sentenced to five years behind bars. Forty-one year old Andy Avilez appeared before Magistrate Sharon Frazer today after the victim, Maria Sabala, testified that she was on New Road on September twenty-fourth when Avilez approached her and asked if she wanted her car cleaned. She declined the offer […]
The official coroner’s inquest into the February 2005 death of twenty-one year old Leslie Rogers Junior began today at the Belize City Magistrate’s Court. A panel of seven jurors: two women and five men have been selected to “seek, clarify, and certify the cause of the person’s death.” Rogers was shot once in the head […]
A police officer has been convicted of the rape of a twelve year old girl. At three this afternoon a jury of his peers declared by unanimous verdict that forty-nine year old Evan Reynolds is guilty of two counts of rape. Following the foreman’s announcement, Justice Adolph Lucas told Reynolds, “The jury as a body […]
