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Man Convicted Of Jailhouse Murder
Fri, April 28, 2017
Lorenzo Smith Jr. was today convicted of a jailhouse murder. It happened in a trial before jury before Justice John Gonzalez. Eck, a resident of Ranchito Village who was serving a sentence of 5 years for attempt robbery, was found dead in his cell at the Hattieville Prison. Smith was his only cell mate and on the night of October 9, 2009, the prison officer found Eck on the toilet in a stooping position with a blanket around his neck. Smith had one hand on Eck's neck and the other hand on his chest. At first, it was thought to be a suicide, and in a statement from the dock, Smith alluded to that, saying he woke up and saw Eck hanging from the wall. But Dr. Mario Estradabran testified Eck died from manual strangulation and that he did not commit suicide. Additionally, he had an injury to his head caused by a sharp instrument.

Since Eck did not kill himself and Smith was the only person in the cell with him, Justice Gonzalez concluded that Smith had killed Eck and he found Smith guilty of murder. The court has set Friday, May 5, as the date when a case management will be held with regard to sentencing.

Smith was represented by attorney Oscar Selgado. Crown Counsel Kileru Awich represented the Crown. Smith's trial began on November 17, 2016.

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