A jury of 9 women deliberated for almost 4 hours today in the court of Justice Herbert Lord before it found 23 year old Frank Vernon not guilty of manslaughter by negligence for the death of his cousin 17 year old David Burgess known as, "Bust Throat".
Burgess was fatally shot in the right of his head between 11a.m and noon on August 9, 2008, while he was driving a car on Caesar Ridge Road.
The jury's verdict was unanimous.
The prosecution called 8 witnesses. Incredibly, Three witnesses - Kevin Cassanova, Anthony Mcdonald and Giovanni Chi - were unable to testify because they've all been shot to death.
But statements from Chi and Mcdonald were admitted as evidence.
Their statements were that they saw Vernon and Alexander Underwood emerged from an alley near to Krooman Road after Burgess was shot and the car he was driving stopped on Krooman Road. Mcdonald had alleged that Vernon told him that he never meant it and it was an accident, then Vernon fainted. The prosecution's case was that Vernon and Underwood were in the back of the car Burgess was driving when Burgess was shot. But Vernon gave a statement from the dock in which he said that he was at Cumberbatch Field with friends when he received information that Burgess was shot. He said when he went to Krooman Road he saw Burgess washed in blood and he fainted. He denied having anything to do with the incident. Vernon was represented by attorney Dickie Bradley. Crown Counsel Sheniza Smith represented the prosecution.
Email
Print