Teen not guilty of murder

(CNS): Full story — Jordon Manderson (18) has been found not guilty of the murder of numbers man Marcus Duran in Milawanis Way, West Bay  in March 2010. In a ruling onTuesday morning that took just short of two hours to deliver, Justice Charles Quin said there was no evidence that Manderson was part of a joint enterprise to rob the victim or that he had been recruited into it by Raziel Jeffers. The judge did, however, tell the defendant he had real concerns about the lies the teen had told his family and the police. Justice Quin told Manderson to think long and hard about his future as he was a young man who with luck would live a long time. (Photo courtesy Cayman27)

He said that not only had the young defendant not assisted the police, he had sent them on a wild goose chase when he did not tell the truth about how he was shot on the night Duran was killed.

Justice Quin said it was very disturbing that Manderson had told so many lies about what had happened and even more so because he said that he was scared.

He said the guns involved in the killing of the victim had still not been found and the judge said it was important that people co-operated with the police, otherwise the community would never address the problem of violent crime. “It is time for people to stop withholding information,” he said.

Manderson and his family and friends, who had attended court throughout the trial and who were all present for the verdict, were visibly delighted with the acquittal.

The judge, who was sitting alone in the case without a jury, said there were no eye witnesses in the case, no one had been identified, there was no gun, no fingerprints and no evidence that the defendant ever had a gun or had entered into a joint enterprise, as claimed by the crown. He said the evidence of a figure running behind the building in the wake of the shooting pointed further way from Manderson, who had already been shot in the leg.

He pointed out that the teenager's presence at the scene was not evidence that he had committed the murder. Despite his many lies, the judge said that did not mean he was guilty and there was no evidence he had participated in the robbery, as suggested by the prosecution. The judge noted that the victim's wallet containing several hundred dollars had been found on him so there was no evidence a robbery had even taken place.

“There is no evidence that the defendant used a gun, authorized anyone to use a gun or was part of a joint enterprise to rob,” he added. I find there is insufficient evidence and I must find the defendant not guilty,” the judge said as he concluded his ruling.