By Breaking Belize News Staff: Thirty-one-year-old Shaquille Perrera has been found guilty of murder and attempted murder in connection with a 2023 Christmas Eve shooting on Maskall Street that left Darnelle Puerto dead and Jehvon Ramclam injured.
The verdict was handed down shortly around 3:30 p.m. on Friday by Justice Nigel Pilgrim, who found Perrera guilty of the murder of Puerto and the attempted murder of Ramclam.
The shooting occurred on December 24, 2023, while Puerto and Ramclam were socializing at a yard on Maskall Street. The men came under gunfire, and Puerto was shot to the chest and neck. He died on the spot. Ramclam survived and later became the Crown’s main witness at trial.
In delivering his decision, Justice Pilgrim said he found Ramclam to be credible, honest and reliable. Ramclam testified that after hearing a loud bang, he looked up and saw Perrera pointing a firearm at them. He said the shooter was not wearing a mask, and that a nearby lamp post allowed him to clearly see the shooter’s face and body for about 25 to 30 seconds.
Ramclam also told the court that he had seen Perrera two to three months before the shooting on Central American Boulevard and that he would never forget his face.
Justice Pilgrim ruled that an identification parade was not significant in the case because Ramclam already knew Perrera. The judge also found that the Crown, represented by Crown Counsel Kirk Brown from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, had succesfully proven the necessary elements of murder, including that Puerto died from injuries to vital organs and that the shooter intended to kill.
Perrera, in his defence, denied being the shooter and claimed he was elsewhere when the shooting occurred.
His attorney, Joanna Zuniga-Stewart, had made a no-case submission last week, arguing that the case depended mainly on identification evidence from one witness whose testimony she described as inconsistent. The defence also argued that medical evidence contradicted the witness’s account and that there was no supporting physical evidence, such as a weapon, clothing, or other proof linking Perrera to the shooting.
Justice Pilgrim rejected the submission and called on Perrera to answer to the charges.
Sentencing has been set for July 6. Justice Pilgrim has ordered a victim impact statement, a social inquiry report and a prison report before sentencing.
The post Shaquille Perrera found guilty of 2023 Christmas Eve murder of Darnelle Puerto appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Thirty-one-year-old Shaquille Perrera has been found guilty of murder and attempted murder in connection with a 2023 Christmas Eve shooting on Maskall Street that left Darnelle Puerto dead and Jehvon Ramclam injured. The verdict was handed down shortly around 3:30 p.m. on Friday by Justice Nigel Pilgrim, who found Perrera
The post Shaquille Perrera found guilty of 2023 Christmas Eve murder of Darnelle Puerto appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
