Today in the Supreme Court, Justice Sonya Young presided over the end of the evidence taking phase of a civil suit brought by 28 year-old Corozal Resident Sharim Baeza. He's suing the Government of Belize and a retired cop for what he believes was malicious prosecution against him.
Back in 2003, almost 13 years ago, Sharim Baeza's father, 34 year-old Wilfredo Baeza, was killed at their home in Corozal; he had been shot in the head. Police accused the young Sharim - who was only 16 years-old at the time - of conspiring with his stepmother to hire his two older brothers to kill his father. He was then arrested and charged with Abetment and Conspiracy to commit murder.
He was tried in October 2006 before Justice Troadio Gonzalez, and the cornerstone of the prosecution's case against him was that he supposedly gave a caution statement in which he confessed to the crime. He was convicted in that trial and sentenced to life in Prison, but his attorneys appealed to the Court of Appeal. They won that appeal, and a retrial was ordered.
That happened in May of 2014, and in June of 2014, after over a decade behind bars, Sharim Baeza was allowed to go home after he was acquitted. Well, since then, he has sued the Government, and his civil case finished today. His attorney, Phillip Palacio explained to us how they've tried to convince Justice Young that Baeza was subjected to a malicious prosecution:
The attorneys for both sides will have to provide the court with written submissions by March 18, and after that, the judge will reserve her judgement for the case on a date to be announced.
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