Murder retrial adjourned after closed door hearings

(CNS): Following a week of closed door hearings before the second trail of William McLaughlin- Martinez for the murder of Brian Rankine-Carter was even started the hearing has now been adjourned for three months until 4 April. Although CNS is unable to report on the issues in question for legal reasons the presiding judge revealed on Thursday  that the matters in dispute between the prosecuting and defence attorneys had finally been resolved. The actual trial itself  however, could no longer continue because of timetabling problems. Martinez remains on remand at Northward after his murder conviction was quashed by the court of appeal.

The twelve man jury which had been selected to try Martinez was dismissed by Justice Charles Quin and a new panel will now be selected in April for the rail which is expected to take at least two weeks. Martinez (34) was first convicted of killing Brian Rankine Carter (20) 2009 and sentenced to life imprisonment in July 2009. A retrial was ordered by the court of appeal in August last year

During the trial the crown had relied upon forensic evidence and a key witness who was later convicted as an accessory to the murder. Jason Hinds who testified that he was with McLaughlin-Martinez on the night of the killing and saw him attack Rankine-Carter, is a Jamaican national who was deported by authorities here after he had served his sentence.

The murder was described by the police at the time as particularly brutal as the young male victim has sustained more than 48 wounds during what appeared to be a frenzied attack.