Posted: Monday, April 28, 2025. 6:46 pm CST.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: George Hyde, 26, and Devaun Garcia, 19, are free men after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) entered a nolle prosequi in their murder trial, effectively discontinuing the case against them.
Hyde, who was 23 at the time of the incident, and Garcia, then only 16, were charged with the shooting death of 18-year-old Eaton Thompson. However, their trial came to a sudden end when the prosecution informed the court it could not locate its key witness, whose testimony was central to the case.
On Tuesday, April 15, 2025, the crown called two witnesses to testify about the unsuccessful efforts to find the main witness, after checks at his workplace and home failed. Two weeks later, with no progress, the prosecution made the unexpected decision to abandon the case.
Defense attorney Simeon Sampson, representing Garcia, said he was prepared to challenge the admissibility of the missing witness’s statement and did not anticipate the sudden withdrawal. According to Sampson, the crown’s main witness had provided conflicting accounts to police — initially implicating Hyde and Garcia in the shooting, but later claiming he had been pressured into making that first statement.
Justice Candace Nanton, before releasing the men, warned that the dismissal was not an acquittal and that the murder charge could be reinstated at any time.
Eaton Thompson, a Mahogany Heights resident, was killed while on an errand to buy tacos for his mother.
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Belize ~ We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages. Your content is delivered instantly to thousands of users in Belize and abroad! Contact us at mаrkеtіng@brеаkіngbеlіzеnеwѕ.соm or call us at 501-612-0315.
© 2025, BreakingBelizeNews.com. Content is copyrighted and requires written permission for reprinting in online or print media. Theft of content without permission/payment is punishable by law.
Comments
The post George Hyde and Devaun Garcia walk free after Eaton Thompson murder case collapses mid-trial appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Monday, April 28, 2025. 6:46 pm CST. By Breaking Belize News Staff: George Hyde, 26, and Devaun Garcia, 19, are free men after the Office
The post George Hyde and Devaun Garcia walk free after Eaton Thompson murder case collapses mid-trial appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
