7 News Belize

Did Omar Kill Christie Or Was He Acting In Self Defence?
posted (March 9, 2016)

5 years ago it made major news when 21 year-old Christie Carrasco, a resident of Orange Walk Town, was stabbed to death. Her common-law husband, Osmar Sabido, who is now 30 years-old has been in jail awaiting trial all that time.

Investigators believed that he did it while in the throes of a jealous rage, and the family of the deceased accused him of actually intending to go as far as to burn the house down with her body in it. Today, he finally got his first day in court where he plans to plead self-defence.

Justice Herbert Lord presided over the opening of his trial without jury where the prosecution called their first two witnesses to testify: Deon Faber and Handa Cambranes. Both told the court in great detail how they responded to the stabbing on the night of February 28, 2011. Cambranes gave the very emotional testimony of how she tried to keep Carrasco alive at the back of the police mobile while they rushed her to the Northern Regional Hospital. Faber told the court that he saw Sabido make a stabbing motion once in Carrasco's direction, during the domestic incident.

Oscar Selgado, who is representing Sabido for free in this case, spoke with the press at the end of day's proceedings. He briefly discussed the evidence with which the prosecution intends to secure a conviction against his client:

Oscar Selgado - Attorney for Osmar Sabido

"The evidence that is led by the crown is that on the 28th of February 2011 about 9 P.M. in the San Lorezno area of Orange Walk Town, the couple Osmar Sabido and Christie Carrasco had a domestic dispute at home which led to the stabbing of the deceased, Christie Carrasco. She received 4 injuries to her body, two of them being stab wounds and the other two mere lacerations but from which she subsequently died at the Orange Walk Hospital. That is the evidence that the crown is leading, that the crown has established so far that Christie Carrasco was stabbed. It is circumstantial because nobody saw Osmar Sabido stabbing the deceased, none of the witnesses so far has said I saw and in all the deposition that was disclosed to me, there is no eye witness evidence to say, I saw; so it is circumstantial at this point, it is a circumstantial evidence case and based on those circumstances the crown is seeking a conviction of Osmar Sabido. The defence on the other hand is looking at al that is put forward, the crown will call its last witnesses today and we will then make a defence."

Reporter

"Two witnesses were called up to the stand this morning Handa Cambranes and Mr. Faber, the father of Ms. Cambranes. You mentioned that none of them said they saw the stabbing, however they saw minutes after the stabbing, would you say that is mood point?"

Oscar Selgado - Attorny for Osmar Sabido

"Let me retract, let me correct myself. Deon Faber did say he saw, as a matter of fact he did say he saw, I stand corrected on that. He is the only person who said he saw the defendant Osmar Sabido took a swing in a swinging motion stabbed the deceased once but there were 4 wounds to the deceased. So it was only Deon Faber's eye witness evidence that he saw Osmar Sabido stabbing the deceased once that is before the court."

Even though he could not go into any great detail about his client's defence, Selgado told the media that Osmar Sabido intends to make a strong case for self-defence.

The case is being prosecuted by Crown Counsel Javier Chan, It will continue tomorrow, and it may be concluded as early as Monday of next week. We'll keep following the story.

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