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Cherisse Halsall was in that Dangriga courtroom and tonight she has Smith's first words post-release as well as full details from his Attorney Richard Dickie Bradley.

At the end of the summer, a Mass Shooting at Wabinaha bar in Hopkins brought unspeakable public terror to the southern village.

It's violence that COMPOL Chester Williams condemned during the arraignment of the alleged perpetrators when he placed Canadian military veteran John Smith at the scene.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"If it is that you and another person embark to go and commit a crime, we have one common purpose. Even if it is that you remain as a lookout person you can be captured as a part of that enterprise, in order to commit the crime. And so we only need to confirm if in fact he went to the location with these young men, and at that particular time, they went to commit the crime while he awaited them to get them out of the area, that will fall within the scope of participation."

But if you ask Smith's attorney Dickie Bradley, Smith was somewhat of a hero on the night of the Hopkins mass shooting.

Dickie Bradley, Attorney-At-Law
"Remember this happened at night, everything happened so quickly there is no body to say anything, he had been trying to assist and tell people jump into my vehicle and he drove to the police station in Hopkins, there was nobody there. I understand that a plane had just landed, nobody had informed me about that plane by the way."

"You know there is nobody to say well whoever got in the vehicle boy we had to - this one or we had to blast they nothing really."

And today, 5 months later the alleged killers finally had a court date.

Smith looked calm, cool, and confident, even blowing a kiss to his wife who was waiting for the outcome of the proceedings.

They group went into court at around 1:35 and by 2:15PM Smith had been released due to insufficient evidence with the magistrate announcing that he was a free man - he had no case to answer.

It's freedom he celebrated with a kiss for his wife and a warm embrace for his father

Cherisse Halsall:
"Mr. Smith, your first reactions, you're free how does it feel?"

John Smith, Got off murder charge
"It feels great because I have maintained my innocence since the first day, I should never have been put in prison to begin with and I'm sorry that people got hurt that night, I had nothing to do with it and I'm a free man now and I'm gonna go live free."

Cherisse Halsall:
"Could you share briefly with us what your alibi was?"

John Smith, Got off murder charge
"Nope, I'm innocent and I should never have been put in prison in the beginning. It feels like it should, I feel like a free man with my wife and my dad here, you know they've been pushing to make it happen, these guys made it happen. I couldn't have done it without them."

Bradley too seemed more than pleased with the outcome and this afternoon he explained that Smith had a hard road to get here.

Dickie Bradley, Attorney-At-Law
"The police upgraded the charge from abetment to actual murder and so Mr. Smith was arraigned in the magistrate court in Dangriga on two charges, two counts of murder, along with the other accused. But the light at the end of the tunnel is that the Director Of Public Prosecution and the lawyers that she has, have gone through the investigation file and they are satisfied that the evidence gathered by the police investigators is not sufficient to hold up in a court of law. Insufficient is a better word it's just not at a level where you could say give it a try and let the court decide."

"As a consequence the office of the Director Of Public Prosecution has signaled that they will notify the deciding magistrate that the charges are to be withdrawn."

All smiles this afternoon, with his freedom returned, Smith also thanked his attorney.

John Smith, Got off murder charge
"These guys made it happen Mr. Bradley and the legal system, they made it happen, it feels great and I want to go and celebrate."

28-year-old Brian Andrews, 25-year-old Kenyon Moore, and 35-year-old Sherwin Moore all remain jointly charged for the double murder at the Wabinaha bar.