Police said he was wanted for murder, but, tonight, Michael Meighan is a free man. The Pen Road resident turned himself in on Tuesday and was released by yesterday morning. He has maintained his innocence throughout, but police said he was seen on camera in his government work vehicle in the same area, around the same time that Darren Banks was murdered. The Commissioner of police even went ahead and strung a tissue of circumstantial facts together to stain his name.
But, none of that could stick - and even though he's lost his job - and had his name put out there as a murder suspect - Meighan told us today he has been vindicated:
Michael Meighan, Released from Police Custody
"The police didn't really say I was a suspect, they said I was wanted for questioning because I was in the area at the time when the incident occurred so I didn't have any problem with the questioning because I was in the area because I know I didn't do anything so I didn't mind doing the questioning. My problem was when the post came up with me wanted and the wrong address. Now, that was my problem and my concern, I didn't come on the media to point any fingers or start any argument or anything like that so I think if the police are following all leads then they should be able to have me as for questioning because that's their job technically, therefore, I didn't have a problem but it was when the miscommunication com between my attorney and the investigating officers and we didn't get to meet up on a specific timing that stated I was wanted when they know that we were trying to get in contact with them so they didn't have to put out the wanted poster because I was willing to come in for the questioning, I wasn't a suspect. And that's all I pretty much have to say, the police they did their investigation, obviously I'm out here now, I'm a free man."
Reporter
"How would you respond to the ComPol saying well, we have video footage of him in a car racing down the street after the shooting and how you didn't show up to work the next day? What's your response to those?"
"Well, with me racing off the scene, I can't say I was racing off of the scene because I just naturally drive, I was an office assistant on the compound, I drive round all day so tecnically he probably looked at it as if I was driving off hard but that video they spoke about that I was driving off, that isn't even the scene, that was like way by the roundabout side so still you can't say I was driving off the scene. And with me not showing up to work, I mean just like how they had the log book stating that I had the vehicle from 4 till 7, they have a punch in system whereby when we go to work we have to punch so the Tuesday I did punch into work."
"So I don't know how I didn't show up to work the next day and technically the police can't say they went to look for me the Tuesday because they didnt know who was in that vehicle, they were looking for the vehicle because the vehicle was in the area so they wanted to follow leads."
Meighan's attorney Norman Rodriguez also responded to the police commissioner's characterization of his client as definitely suspicious.
Norman Rodriguez, Attorney
"Let's touch on what you said about the ComPol saying certain things: alright he is the top cop, he has a right to, I wouldn't say speculate. It's not bright to speculate. But he has a right to give opinion. He has legal knowledge; he is a trained attorney so I expect he will stay within the confines of his training and the las of Belize. But we just have to look at what the results are. My duty as an attorney is to in the interest of my client to say that if they are charged, they will be charged based on evidence that can bring a conviction. The police also has a right and in some cases have a duty to detain people and question them. In this case that was what was done. As far as we know that my client was released yesterday, so if anybody at all, any person declared that there was evidence to try or to charge my client and my client is set free, then you can be the judge of that and everybody else can."
"The ComPol knows and every other Belizean with some knowledge of law know that if you are going to make statements then they must be grounded. As to whether if I feel that he has a right to, we all have a right to make comments, those comments are grounded in law. Otherwise, you open yourself to liability."
Reporter
"Isn't it in a way sort of smearing your client's name, because now he looks like a suspect without actually being charged."
Norman Rodriguez, Attorney
"It looks quite interesting, that much I can tell you. I will take my client instructions and I will go from there."
Reporter
"Your response to Chester's comments that these young men they find the attorneys and attorneys tell them what they want the police to hear."
Norman Rodriguez, Attorney
"They lined themselves with attorneys. Well, even the man who knows that he has committed a crime retains attorneys, so what do you expect of the young man who knows that he hasn't been participated in any crime or sure that he has not participated, what do you expect him to do? It is a constitutional right for every person who is accused of a crime to be represented by an attorney of his choice, so my client was right on time and in-line and as it relates to the comment that the vehicle was seen speeding off, I have one question to ask, if you are at a crime scene and you hear gunshots, do you drive away slowly? do you walk away or you speed away from that spot. Nobody wants to get shot. So, what would you have expected of any person who would have been where those gunshots were fired?"
