Jury stalled on verdict

(CNS): After well over four hours of deliberation the jury of eight women and four men were unable to return a verdict Friday in the case against Tareeq Ricketts for the murder of 23-year-old Jackson Rainford last December. The families of both the defendant and the deceased remained anxious for an announcement but the jury was instructed by the presiding judge, Justice Alex Henderson, to return to their deliberations on Saturday afternoon, when at 6pm Friday evening they had still not agreed his fate. The judge warned the members of the jury that they must keep their deliberations completely confidential until they meet again at 3pm tomorrow, when it is hoped that they can reach a unanimous decision.

Ricketts is accused of being the man who shot and killed Jackson Rainford in December of last year as he sat in the passenger seat of his brother's vehicle at a residence along Shedden Road, George Town. The crown claim that Ricketts killed Rainford out of anger and jealousy as Rainford was not only the ex-husband of his current girlfriend but Rainford was also developing a relationship with Ricketts' ex-lover and the mother of his children.

However, Ricketts has denied the charges, stating this is a case of mistaken identity, a defence bolstered when the crown’s key witness changed her testimony during the court hearing, when she said she no longer believed that it was Ricketts she saw shoot her friend on the night in question.