Three years after he was charged with murder, 22-year-old Bevan Curtis Alford has been acquitted after the High Court found the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Justice Nigel Pilgrim today found Alford not guilty of the March 5, 2023 murder of 21-year-old Freddy Chicas, whose partially decomposed body was found five days later near Mile 7 on the George Price Highway. Chicas had been shot once in the head. The Crown's case relied primarily on a series of alleged confessions made by Alford, including statements to police, a BDF soldier, and his then mother-in-law through Facebook Messenger. However, Justice Pilgrim ruled that while he accepted Alford made the statements, he could not be satisfied they were truthful or reliable because of Alford's mental state. We spoke with his attorney Norman Moore as well as Alford outside of court today:
Norman Moore, Attorney-at-Law
"There were certain alleged admissions that my client supposedly said. The issue was that at the time when he made those admissions or the alleged admissions, it was, well the court could not determine whether or not those admissions were actually true. Right? So that is what they were saying. And the reason why they couldn't determine that is because of his mental history that we had submitted in with the medical, the expert medical reports. And also with those certain alleged admissions that my client did do or did say, there was medical evidence that the prosecution gave which completely, what I would say, dispel any of those admissions that my client did say. Right? So again, coupled with both medical expert reports combined, actually gave the basis for, I would say, that acquittal in court today."
Reporter
"Can you speak about his admittance?"
Norman Moore
"I honestly wouldn't want to venture into that because it has been proven now in court that those admittance were not true."
Reporter
"How about the true history, the medical history for the doctor?"
Norman Moore
"Well, we, it was a clinical medical, I would say, mental medical assessment that was done on my client. Right? Because he had a history of, I would say, like suicidal and substance abuse. And that actually played a role in this whole verdict that came out. Right?"
Reporter
"So what next on the, what's your plan?"
Norman Moore
"Well, my client gets to go home now. And actually, he had just made a phone call to his mother and, I mean, they're both excited. He gets to go home. He gets to go back to his mom, see his mom after three years of being incarcerated. And, yeah."
Bevan Curtis Alford, Acquitted Of Murder
"I will head back to school, continue my education, less friends, smaller circle."
Reporter
"Do you think that your present state allowed the confusion in your words to police when you were detained?"
Bevan Curtis Alford
"To be real, I don't have anything else to say."
Justice Pilgrim concluded that while the evidence raised suspicion, it did not establish Alford's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, resulting in his acquittal for the murder of Freddy Chicas. The killing remains unsolved.
