7 News Belize

Deon Bruce Still Fighting
posted (September 17, 2018)
Belizean Deon Bruce has been sitting in jail since January 2014, when the then Chief Magistrate, Ann Marie Smith, ordered that he should be extradited to Chicago to face grand jury charges of murder and attempted murder.

US Law enforcement say that in July 2010 he gunned down and killed Americans Aaron Carter and Bryan Rodgers, but ever since extradition proceedings were brought against him, he's been fighting it in the Supreme Court.

So far, he's been on a losing streak, and the Supreme Court has already refused to overturn the Chief Magistrate's decision. He got good news today, however, when Justice Michelle Arana ruled that he can go to the Court of Appeal, and appeal her ruling against him.

He had to go to the Supreme Court to seek permission to appeal, and after hearing from his attorney, Anthony Sylvestre, and the Government Crown Counsel, the judge granted him leave to appeal.

Outside of court, his attorney told the awaiting press that, he and his legal team hope to reverse the extradition order against him. Here's how he explained it to us today:

Anthony Sylvestre - Attorney for Deon Bruce
"Deon Bruce has been remanded at the Hattieville since January 2014 on a committal warrant from the former Chief Magistrate, Ann Marie Smith. During the intervening period between January 2014 and December 2017. We first made an application to the Supreme Court for a habeas corpus application for Mr. Bruce to be released. There were the cases of the Seawell brothers, Mark and Gary, and you may recall that in both of their cases, they were released on the basis that the warrants that they were being held on were defective. And as a consequence, it was held that they were unlawfully being held. So, Mr. Bruce retained us, and we reviewed his documents, and we found that there appear to us to be similar defects. And so, we had applied to the court. Initially, his hearing came on last December 2017. We were not successful there, but the procedures of the court allows him to appeal to the Court of Appeal. But before actually being able to make his appeal to the Court of Appeal, he must first receive permission of the court. That's what we sought, and that's what we obtained. So, the next stage is for us to make our appeal to the Court of Appeal. We have about 21 days to file an actual notice of appeal."

His attorney is hoping that his appeal can be heard during the first sitting of the Court of Appeal, which happens March of next year.

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