27 year-old Nicaraguan Sylvio Espinosa, the man who was charged with the murder of the former PUP secretary general Carlos Espat, was acquitted today in a trial without jury before Justice Adolph Lucas. He's been on trial for just over a month, but the court has ruled that there is no evidence to convict him.
Espinosa's trial was prosecuted by special prosecutor Ellis Arnold who was the lead counsel for the crown. He called witnesses for who included big names in the police department such as the arresting officer, Superintendent Suzette Anderson, the then Assistant Commissioner of Police Elodio Aragon, Superintendent Marco Vidal, who got Espinosa to confess, and Superintendent Hilberto Romero, who recorded the statement in which Espinosa allegedly admitted to committing the murder.
Most of the case was consumed with a lengthy and complicated trial within this trial in which that confession statement was tested to see if it would be admitted as evidence against Espinosa. His attorney, Audrey Matura-Shepherd, brought every single technical challenge against the statement. The defendant, Espinosa, testified that a bag was put over his head and he was beaten to give the statement. At the end of the process, Justice Lucas agreed with her that the statement was inadmissible.
That's where the prosecution's case fell apart, and because there was no other evidence which tied Espinosa to the murder. Justice Lucas acquitted him of the offence, which allowed him to walk out of court a free man. Though he was no longer on remand, he was immediately picked up by Immigration because they now need to verify his status in Belize.
47 year-old Carlos Espat was killed on September 3, 2010, at his apartment at the corner of Albert Street and King Street. He died from a blunt force injury to the back of his head.
