Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2025. 1:23 pm CST.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Convicted attorney-at-law, Oscar Selgado, returned to the courtroom on Tuesday as his appeal against his 10-year prison sentence for abetment to murder began before the Belize Court of Appeal.
Selgado, who celebrated his 56th birthday in prison on Monday, was convicted in 2023 by Justice Nigel Pilgrim for allegedly plotting to have Marilyn Barnes killed. Although the hit was never carried out, the court found Selgado guilty based primarily on a statement from Giovanni Ramirez, a man he allegedly approached to carry out the murder.
Represented by attorneys Arthur Saldivar and Darrell Bradley, Selgado is appealing both his conviction and sentence, arguing that the trial was unfair due to missing evidence and the admission of a hearsay statement from a witness who never testified in person.
Saldivar told the appellate panel—comprised of Justices Marguerite Woodstock-Riley, Sandra Minott-Phillips, KC, and Peter Foster, KC—that the trial judge erred in allowing Ramirez’s statement into evidence. He claimed that under Section 105 of the Evidence Act, the alleged fearful witness could have testified virtually, as is common in such cases.
He also pointed to a missing cell phone recording that police never recovered, despite having months to do so before the trial began. Saldivar further argued that Selgado’s 10-year sentence was excessive compared to similar cases, citing Johan Abadi, who received six years for a comparable offense.
Responding for the Crown, Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl-Lynn Vidal, assisted by Maria Nembhard-Santana, maintained that the court lawfully admitted Ramirez’s statement after a voir dire hearing determined he was in genuine fear for his life. Vidal told the court Ramirez believed Selgado would kill him if he testified, and his fear was corroborated by other witnesses.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, Justice Peter Foster, KC posed a pointed question to the DPP: “If the prosecution did not have that statement admitted into evidence, the Crown would not have a case?” To which Vidal responded candidly, “No, the Crown would not have had a case against Selgado.”
The appeal challenges both the admissibility of key evidence and the severity of the sentence, with the defense contending that Selgado’s clean record should have mitigated the penalty.
Selgado was convicted on March 8, 2022, and sentenced in June 2024. He has maintained his innocence and vowed to continue fighting the conviction.
The Court of Appeal has reserved its decision following today’s hearing.
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The post Convicted attorney Oscar Selgado appeals 10-year sentence for abetment to murder; celebrates 56th birthday in jail appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Tuesday, October 14, 2025. 1:23 pm CST. By Breaking Belize News Staff: Convicted attorney-at-law, Oscar Selgado, returned to the courtroom on Tuesday as his appeal
The post Convicted attorney Oscar Selgado appeals 10-year sentence for abetment to murder; celebrates 56th birthday in jail appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
