By Breaking Belize News Staff: The murder trial of Krismar Marvin Espinosa, who is accused of the April 2024 killing of Belize City resident Wilbert E. Banks Jr., failed to begin in the High Court this week after his attorney stepped down from the case.
The trial was scheduled to start on Monday before Justice Candace Nanton. Espinosa was being represented by attorney Dr. Lynden Jones of Jones & Company Associates, while the Crown was represented by Crown Counsel Maria Santana Nembhard.
However, before the trial could proceed, Dr. Jones applied to be removed from the case. He told the court that he had received “limited and conflicting instructions” and would not be able to properly and adequately represent Espinosa.
Speaking after the matter, Dr. Jones confirmed, “I made an application to be removed from the case and it was granted by the court.”
The prosecution indicated that it was ready to proceed, but based on the explanation given by Dr. Jones, the Crown did not object. The matter was then stood down and adjourned for mention on May 25, 2026.
Espinosa is now left unrepresented and will need to secure a new attorney before his trial can proceed.
Espinosa is accused of the murder of 38-year-old Wilbert E. Banks Jr., who was fatally shot on April 5, 2024, in the Lake Garden community in Ladyville.
According to police, Banks was driving on Lake Garden Road around 11:30 p.m. when someone fired several shots at him. He was fatally injured and lost control of his Toyota Rav-4, which crashed into a bungalow house in the area.
Police later recovered nine 9mm expended shells and a black cellphone from the scene. Banks was taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Espinosa was first arraigned for Banks’ murder on April 8, 2024, and has been on remand at the Belize Central Prison since then.
The post Krismar Espinosa’s lawyer steps down right before trial in Wilbert Banks Jr. murder case appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: The murder trial of Krismar Marvin Espinosa, who is accused of the April 2024 killing of Belize City resident Wilbert E. Banks Jr., failed to begin in the High Court this week after his attorney stepped down from the case. The trial was scheduled to start on Monday before Justice
The post Krismar Espinosa’s lawyer steps down right before trial in Wilbert Banks Jr. murder case appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.