On July 11, 2008 ex-BDF soldier Orlando Montero known as "Vega" was found dead on the side of the Western Highway near the Mahogany Heights bus stop. He had been viciously stabbed to death.
Two cousins 21 year old Derrick Parham and 27 year Kenrick Parham who were known to hang out in Mahogany Heights were charged for the murder.
Well, today, those two cousins got off that murder charge when they were acquitted today in the court of Justice Adolph Lucas. Crown counsel Sharmila Williams closed the case for the prosecution after 6 witnesses testified and there was no evidence as to who had fatally stabbed Montero.
Justice Lucas then directed the jury of 10 women and 2 men to return a formal verdict of not guilty for both accused. The story was that Montero, a resident of Mahogany Heights, got into an altercation with two men when he got off the bus at mahogany heights. He punched down one of the men then he ran into the bushes. He was pursued and was stabbed in his face, chest and neck with a broken Guinness bottle.
One witness testified that he could not remember the events of that night. He said he recalled giving the police a statement but he cannot remember if he signed it. He was treated as a hostile witness.
A second witness, a taxi driver testified that he cannot remember anything because he suffers from memory loss due to an injury he received to his head with a wheel spanner. A third witness, testified that she saw the deceased fighting with two persons but she said she could not say who the persons were. Derrick was represented by attorney Dickey Bradley while Kenrick was represented by attorney Leo Bradley jr.
