On Thursday, Belize's first trial without jury may come to a close. The defendant, 20 year-old Akeem Thurton, who is accused of the attempted murder of Attorney Rodwell Williams, must return to court and provide Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin a valid reason why he should be acquitted of the charge against him. He gets one last chance to address the court in his defense.
Last week Tuesday, 7News gave you a detailed account of Williams' testimony when he took the stand. Well today, Thurton had his chance present a case in his own defense.
This afternoon, the Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl Taitt - Vidal, recalled Williams to the stand and asked him if the man he identified in September 2010 identification parade was the man was the accused. He responded with a confident yes, and gave a dock identification of Thurton as the man who shot him on May 31, 2010.
With that, Williams stepped down, and Vidal closed her case.
Chief Justice Benjamin then indicated to Thurton about the options he has to defend himself. He chose to give a dock statement where he said, quote, "I have one thing to say. I did not shoot anyone. Only that I have to say." Unquote.
He then called his mother, Lorraine Thurton to the stand, and he asked her if she saw him shoot anyone. She replied that she didn't, but under cross-examination by the DPP, she admitted that she was not on Albert Street when the shooting occurred.
Chief Justice Benjamin says that the defendant will have a chance to give a closing address on Thursday - and that's where the trial ends. Now, typically, in jury trials a verdict comes out after the cases, closes, but in this first trial without a jury - it is not certain whether the CJ will deliver the verdict in a matter of hours.
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