By Breaking Belize News Staff: Justice Nigel Pilgrim has reserved his decision in the triple murder trial of former police officer Elmer Nah, 40, setting Friday, May 29, 2026 as the date for judgment after hearing final oral submissions in the High Court on Friday morning.
Justice Pilgrim explained that the court has received more than 600 pages of written submissions from the defense and roughly half that amount from the Crown, noting that he must carefully review the extensive material before delivering his ruling.
Nah is accused of the December 31, 2020 killing of three members of the Ramnarace family—Vivian, John, and David Ramnarace—in Belmopan.
During Friday’s proceedings, the court heard oral submissions from Special Prosecutor Terrence Williams of Jamaica, who appeared virtually for the Crown, and defense attorney Dr. Lynden Jones, who appeared in person alongside Nah.
Dr. Jones, who addressed the court for approximately 16 minutes between 9:49 a.m. and 10:05 a.m., urged Justice Pilgrim to return not guilty verdicts on all three counts of murder, arguing that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Nah committed the crimes.
According to Jones, the Crown had only established that a terrible crime occurred, but had not sufficiently proven that Nah was responsible. He reminded the court that the burden of proof rests entirely on the prosecution, and that Nah remains presumed innocent unless the Crown proves its case.
Jones also challenged the reliability of the identification evidence, which he said rested primarily on three strands:
- a statement allegedly given by Vivian Ramnarace from her hospital bed,
- a photo identification array, and
- circumstantial evidence, including items such as a headlight and a pair of rubber boots.
He argued that the circumstances under which Vivian’s statement was taken—while she was injured and traumatized after witnessing the shooting of her family members—created a significant risk of error in identification.
Jones further told the court that Vivian had no prior personal familiarity with Nah, claiming that her alleged recognition of him was based on seeing him in media reports related to a drug plane landing case, which he described as unreliable “media exposure” recognition.
While acknowledging that three people died based on the medical evidence presented during trial, Jones said the court must focus not on the gravity of the crime but on whether there is reliable evidence linking Nah to the murders.
In response, Special Prosecutor Williams told the court during his 20-minute submission that the Crown’s case includes supporting evidence for the visual identification and that, under the Turnbull guidelines, supporting evidence does not necessarily have to amount to full corroboration.
Williams argued that Vivian’s identification of the shooter could not be dismissed as a fleeting glance, adding that the circumstantial evidence in the case was strong.
He also pointed to inconsistencies in Nah’s own accounts of his movements before and after the shooting, describing them as “radically different.”
Williams noted that Nah had provided statements to the investigating officer as well as testimony in court that conflicted with his claim that he was home at all material times with his nephew, Amin Nah.
According to the prosecutor, the defense presented multiple differing versions of events, which undermined Nah’s credibility.
Williams further submitted that the Crown’s case could stand even without Vivian’s statement, but maintained that her account contained detailed descriptions of the shooter’s actions that were consistent with video footage presented during the trial.
The prosecutor concluded that the evidence presented in the case was sufficient for the court to find Nah guilty of the three counts of murder.
Following the submissions, Justice Pilgrim adjourned the matter and said he will deliver his decision on May 29, 2026.
The post ‘Did he do it?’ Elmer Nah triple-murder verdict to be handed down until May 29 appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Justice Nigel Pilgrim has reserved his decision in the triple murder trial of former police officer Elmer Nah, 40, setting Friday, May 29, 2026 as the date for judgment after hearing final oral submissions in the High Court on Friday morning. Justice Pilgrim explained that the court has received more
The post ‘Did he do it?’ Elmer Nah triple-murder verdict to be handed down until May 29 appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
