Twenty one year old Marlon Contreras, one of two men who were charged with the murder of 40 year old taxi driver Jose Howe, was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter today in Belmopan Supreme court.
The jury of 12 deliberated a little over 2 hours before it arrived at its verdict. The trial judge, Justice Troadio Gonzalez, has deferred sentencing until August 31st, to give Contreras' attorney, Phillip Palacio time to prepare a plea for mitigation.
The second defendant, 20 year old Abraham Guerra was acquitted of the charge when a "no case to answer" submission by his attorney, Simeon Sampson was upheld by Justice Gonzalez.
The killing occurred on September 28, 2007. Howe was stabbed multiple times to the body while he was in his taxi on the old road in Benque Viejo. The car was found with his body in the back seat on the Western highway near to San Ignacio town. It had crashed into a lamp post. Two knives were found inside the car. Contreras and Guerra had purportedly given caution statements to the police confessing to the killing, but only Contreras' statement was admitted as evidence. Contreras gave a statement from the dock in which he denied he was involved in the killing. Senior Crown counsel Cecil Ramirez represented the prosecution.
