Earlier in the news, we told you what police are trying to do to bring gang violence under control in Belize City after a worrying spike this month. At this time, the cops believe that the killing of 17-year-old Gerald Tillett Jr. was the catalyst to a back and forth in retaliation between George Street and Taylors Alley.
Police have since arrested and charged an 18-year-old for the murder of Gerald Jr. But, the news tonight is that the man accused of killing his father, Gerald "Shiney" Tillett Sr., has been found guilty in the Supreme Court.
Shiney was gunned down in April 2016 in Dangriga at the Wadani Shed, a popular nightspot in the heart of the town.
Police investigators charged Nicholas Swaso with one count of murder and 2 counts of attempted murder.
Swazo stood trial earlier this year before Justice Antoinette Moore, and the case was prosecuted by Senior Crown Counsel Javier Chan. He and the police were able to produce key pieces of circumstantial evidence in the case, along with the written statement of 1 eyewitness who identified Swazo as the gunman who opened fire on the 3 men at the business place that night.
Swazo was represented by Oscar Selgado. He was insisting that he was not guilty, and the defense relied on several grounds. They tried to convince the judge that the identification evidence that tied him to the crime was poor. He also had an alibi witness who also testified on his behalf.
After carefully considering the entire case, Justice Moore returned with a verdict that although the evidence was mainly circumstantial, the sum total was enough to convince her that the prosecution had proven its case against Swazo.
The judge has scheduled his sentencing hearing for July 23rd, but early reports reaching 7News is that Swazo and his attorney are strongly considering an appeal.
That's because they reportedly disagree with the judge's admission of important pieces of evidence while excluding others. We are informed that there were 3 witnesses who gave written police statements against Swazo. In one of those statements, he was identified as the gunman. Those witnesses didn't testify under oath because they were fearful for their lives.
A recent amendment to the law allowed for the written statements to still be entered as evidence.
