In yesterday's news, we told you how DPP Cheryl-Lynn Vidal called a local forensics expert to testify against accused murderers William "Danny" Mason, Ashton Vanegas, Keron Fernandez, Terrence Fernandez, and Ernest Castillo. All 5 men are standing trial without a jury in the courtroom of Justice Antoinette Moore.
This senior Scenes of Crime technician was the official who prepared all the evidence that police gathered back in July 2016, starting from the time when the decapitated head of Pastor Lewellyn Lucas was found in the pan of Mason's pick-up truck at a bar in Belmopan. This same technician then photographed all 5 accused men, took their clothing, and prepared samples to be sent abroad for DNA testing. He was also the official who visited Mason's ranch at mile 31 on the George Price Highway, where important pieces of evidence against the men were also collected.
He spent the entire day yesterday, providing the court with all that evidence, and this morning, the defense attorneys got a chance to cross-examine him. During this morning's session, the 5 defense attorneys each made their best attempts to poke holes in his expert testimony.
But, the big reveal of the day happened when DPP Vidal called an FBI expert on blood and DNA to testify in the trial via a Skype teleconference call.
Though there were a few technical difficulties with the transmission, this FBI expert that the clothing which 3 of the accused wore on the night they were detained tested positive for blood which matches the DNA profile of Pastor Lucas.
Outside of court late this evening, 3 of the defense attorneys briefly today's revelations with the press:
Dexter Todd, Attorney for Danny Mason
"All that took place basically is that, as you would recognize, there were various samples that were taken by your forensic specialists here. Those samples were sent to the U.S. and they were analyzed by the FBI laboratory technicians who are specialists in the field. All you have transpiring is the findings of the specialist at the FBI lab, from the FBI lab in relation to the exhibits that were sent."
Reporter
"How does our system handle this kind of evidence, what provisions are there in the evidence act to deal with this kind of evidence?"
Bryan Neal, Attorney
"Well the DPP was just telling me a while ago in court that this is the third case that DNA testing has been tried in. DNA is an international standard that is used so that we accept DNA evidence, but what we have in Belize, the problem is the collection of samples that are eventually tested. So I think that the local authorities need to focus their attention on collecting evidence in a more legally sound manner."
Norman Rodriguez, Attorney
"Until the witness has been cross-examined, I would not be able to tell you that it would have any effect on any of those people. Still, I would reserve those comments for those attorneys who represent those people. But until the witness has been cross-examined I cannot say that the accused are affected."
The murder trial resumes tomorrow in Belmopan, when the defense attorneys will get a chance to cross-examine this FBI witness.
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