William Danny Mason along with Ashton Vanegas, Keron Fernandez, Terrence Fernandez, and Ernest Castillo today went on trial for the murder of Pastor Llewelyn Lucas in the Belmopan Supreme Court. But the trial almost didn't start when Herbert Panton, the attorney for Mason and his four co-accused asked for an adjournment. He said his legal team couldn't get proper instructions from the five accused because the Prison is not allowing them to see all at the same time.
But, DPP Cheryl Lynn Vidal wanted to press on; she argued that she has a list of witnesses who are prepared to testify today.
The court compromised by granting Panton an hour to meet with his clients.
When the case resumed at 11:00, the first witness for the prosecution, 80 year old David Dodd testified via Skype from a secure location in Texas.
Dodd said that on 15th July, 2016 he accompanied Pastor Lew and Pastor Wright to Belmopan. Pastor Lew asked them to accompany him to his employer to collect some money that was owed to him.
They went to Mason's house where Dodd and Pastor Wright waited inside the vehicle. But, they were tricked inside by MAson's workers, where they were duct taped, and locked inside a bathroom. Two men puts bags over their heads and threw them into the back of a pickup truck with a cover. Their captors drove for close to an hour and when they finally stopped, a man with what Dodd describes as a cultured voiced began speaking to him. Dodd says that the cultured voice told him that pastor Lew is a crook, and a liar who hates white people. The cultured voice then told him that they would be set free if they are willing to forget what happened. They agreed and were taken to a location a short distance away and told that a vehicle would arrive in a few minutes. Dodd told the court that when the duct tape was removed from his eyes, he saw that it was his wife's vehicle parked in front of him. He was told to walk straight and not look back. He testified that they never saw pastor Lew after they saw him going up the steps at Mason's home.
That testimony went until the afternoon when Mason's House Maid Magdalena Teul testified. She worked for Mason and his wife for over a year and was able to identify all the accused in court, including Mason. Teul told the court that on the 15th of July 2016, Pastor Lew entered the house and sat around a table with Mason where they had a discussion. She served Mason and Pastor Lew refreshments upon their request. Pastor Lucas and Danny Mason then left the table. Teul told the court that she did not see where they went and they did not return up until when she had left at 6:00 in the evening. Police arrested Mason that night in Belmopan, and inside his pickup they found Pastor Lew's head in a bucket.
The case continues tomorrow - and we'll have more coverage.
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