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Anticipation Builds, Mason Verdict Tomorrow
posted (December 2, 2019)
5 weeks ago, Justice Antoinette Moore reserved judgment in the murder trial of William Danny Mason, and his fellow accused, Ashton Vanegas, Keiron Fernandez, Terrence Fernandez, and Ernest Castillo. Well, Justice Moore is ready with a verdict, and tomorrow, the defendants will find out whether or not she thinks that they all had some role to play in July 2016 beheading murder of Pastor Lewellyn Lucas.

Viewers will remember that this trial ran its course over many months, and in that time, DPP Cheryl-Lynn Vidal presented volumes of evidence against the men. She has acknowledged that her case is based on circumstantial evidence and that there were no eyewitnesses. She has asserted, however, that when taken collectively, the evidence demonstrates that on that day, Pastor Lue arrived at Mason's Intelco Hill home. He arrived there in the company of American David Dodd and another man.

A key piece of evidence for the DPP's case is surveillance footage captured by Mason's own surveillance system. She invited the judge to closely review that footage, which she asserts, is solid evidence. From the DPP's perspective, it shows that all 5 accused men kidnapped Lucas, and his companions after Lucas and Mason had a meeting upstairs of his house.

The evidence, she said, then shows that Mason and his workers then took them to his Outback Ranch on the George Price Highway. That's when David Dodd and Pastor Lue's other companion were allowed to leave unharmed. Several hours later, all 5 men ended up at Sancho's bar in Belmopan. That's where police found Pastor Lue's decapitated head in a bucket that was at the back fo Mason's pickup truck.

The attorneys for the defendants have attempted to discredit the DPP's evidence, calling it unsafe, and inadequate to base murder convictions on. They are of the opinion that all 5 men should be found not guilty.

So, what does the judge think after closely examining the entirety of the case? Well, she'll deliver her verdict tomorrow, and we'll be there in the front row. You can get live updated on our 7news Facebook page.

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