Teenagers accused of seaman’s murder freed

Jun 12, 2016 News

Kevin Washington and Dennecia Halle, the teenagers who were charged with the murder of Seaman, Antonio

Murdered: Seaman Antonio Isles

Isles, have been found not guilty of murder. The teens walked out of the prisoners’ dock in the courtroom of Justice Navindra Singh and embraced their relatives standing a short distance away.

Justice Singh told the teens that now they have been given the opportunity to improve their lives, they should always think three times before they act.
The decision came on Friday, after a mixed jury panel was instructed to return a unanimous verdict of not guilty for the murder in favour of the two accused. Their Attorneys, Dexter Todd and Peter Hugh had made no case submissions which were upheld by the Judge.
The two teens were held in connection with the March 1, 2013 murder. According to newspaper reports, Isles, a fisherman from of 248 Pike Street, Kitty,
was severely beaten by a group of persons in the area.
After the attack, Isles was left lying on the road, but eventually was taken to the Kitty Police Station and then to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation Hospital, (GPHC) where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Residents of Pike Street, Kitty, however, believed that some youths were responsible for Isles’s death. Two teenagers were afterwards arrested and charged for the offence.
The duo has since pleaded not guilty to the indictment before Justice Singh and a mixed jury for the murder of 40-year-old man.
On Wednesday, State Witnesses testifying in the trial told the court that a group of armed and rowdy youths surrounded the fisherman the day, he was fatally injured.
State witness Margaret De Florimonte who is said to be living a short distance from where the incident occurred said that she was at home when she heard a commotion on the road.
De Florimonte said that she walked toward the noise in her street and found a group of children standing around the fisherman with sticks in their hands. She said that she recognised Halle, the female accused, from among the group of children.
Kelvin Teaser, who identified himself as an associate of the victim, later told the court that he had a Guinness with Isles about 15 minutes before the man was found lying injured at the side of the road.
The witness claimed that he heard a commotion coming from the direction he and Isles had just shared a drink and smoked cigarettes.
He said that he went to check out the noise, when he saw a group of youngsters standing around the injured man; some of them had pieces of wood ‘2×4,’ in size in their hands. Teaser testified that he asked the teenagers why they were beating the fisherman and they said that it was because he had stolen something.
He said that Isles was unconscious and buckets of water were thrown on him in an effort for him to regain consciousness.
However, following the ruling on the no –case submission, the judge pointed out that the police investigation into the murder was poor and amounted to insufficient evidence for the offence which the teens were indicted. The case was presented by State Prosecutors, Orinthia Schmidt and Michael Shahoud

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