After being called to the Bar in Belize City, Todd, headed straight to Belmopan for a hearing in front of Justice Antoinette Moore.
The judge wants to resume the trial as soon as possible, and she called all the defense attorneys representing the 5 accused for a report, and to get their input on the best possible date to continue with this case.
Daniel Ortiz in Belmopan for that hearing, and here's his report on the day's events:
Daniel Ortiz reporting
The last time these 5 defendants went before Justice Antoinette Moore for their murder trial, their previous attorney,
Herbert Panton, asked the court to step down.
The judge had no choice but to put the case on pause while adequate legal representation was identified for each.
In the 7 weeks that has passed, the court has found attorneys for 4 out of the 5. Ernest Castillo is now being represented by Baja Shoman, while Ashton Vanegas is being represented by Norman Rodriguez. Keiron Fernandez is being represented by Bryan Neal, and Terrence Fernandez is being represented by Iliana Swift.
William Mason retained the Guyanese attorney, Dexter Todd, who was called to the Bar this morning, just so that he could legally practice law in Belize.
He attended court this morning for the first session after the hiatus in the trial.
Dexter Todd - Attorney for William Mason
"What has basically happened today is that I was given an opportunity to be brought up-to-date with what has transpired so far, which I believe is very important, and I commend the system here in Belize, in relation to doing that. I have been promised the depositions, or the evidence that has been taken in the matter so far, and then, I've asked for about 3 weeks to really study the materials. That time was afforded to me by the court, and I am indeed grateful for that. I believe we have set a date in June, where we will try to run the trial from that date non-stop."
And in the interest of fairness, the defence attorneys will be given the opportunity to call back any of the 18 prosecution witnesses who have testified so far. They will be able to cross-examine any of the witnesses on the content of their testimony when they were called by DPP Cheryl-Lynn Vidal. This could mean that some of the big reveals so far in the prosecution's evidence might be challenged.
Dexter Todd
"The court will give us an opportunity to recall those witnesses, and I think that was the best thing that can happen. Because - Let's say, each lawyer has their own style, and let's say that a lawyer in his or her own style might have said, 'Listen, I allowed this evidence to go without testing it. The court is giving us the opportunity to do that now, and I think the court is doing its best to ensure that this trial is a fair one. And I think that goes well for the jurisprudence of Belize."
The case resumes on June 18th, and we'll be there to tell you how it goes.
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