4 murders in front of appeal court

(CNS): Four murder convictions will be under review in the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal over the next week when the crown will be fighting to retain verdicts. The appeal court is expected to start with the delivery of their judgement on the appeal of Raziel Jeffers for the murder of Marcus Ebanks (20) and the attempted murder of several other men in West Bay back in July 2009, which was heard during the last appeal court session. The judges will then hear appeals from Leonard Ebanks for the fatal shooting of Tyrone Burell (20) also in West Bay in 2010, William Martinez-McLaughlin for the murder of Brian Rankine-Carter (20) in George Town in 2008 and Devon Anglin for the killing of Carlos Webster (34) in a West Bay Road nightclub in 2009.

Jeffers' case was heard in the summer, when his defence lawyers but forward the grounds that the trial judge was biased against Jeffers because of a police intelligence report he had seen in connection with a ruling on another case. He also argued that telephone evidence which proved the crown’s key witness against him had lied about the day of the murder was never put before the court in the judge alone trial. The three judge panel has reserved its decision until this session but is expected to reveal whether Jeffers is to remain in jail, face a second trial or to be acquitted.

Meanwhile, Leonard Ebanks will be appealing against his conviction, which was based primarily on the evidence of just one witness who did not see Ebanks shoot Burrell.

Martinez-McLaughlin will be looking for a second successful appeal. His first conviction for the killing of Rankine-Carter was overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2010 as a result of misdirection from the trial judge in response to a jury query. However, Martinez was found guilty a second time by a second jury in 2011.

In Anglin’s case he will be seeking to overturn the verdict handed down by the chief justice for the fatal shooting of Carlos Webster in a nightclub on West Bay Road. The evidence against Anglin was based heavily on the evidence of two anonymous witnesses from the crowded club. This will be the first appeal heard by the appeal court where a conviction is based on the testimony of anonymous witnesses.

The crown is also appealing a not guilty verdict against Anglin for the slaying of 4-year-old Jeremiah Barnes, who was shot while sitting in a car behind his father, Andy Barnes, who was throught to be the intended victim of the gang shooting, which took place in February 2010. Anglin was found not guilty by visiting judge Justice Howard Cooke during a judge alone trial when he dismissed the evidence presented by the parents of the child and that of the CCTV expert in favour of that given by a gas station attendant who was also there at the time of the killing.

This week’s Court of Appeal criminal session begins at 10am in Court 2.