BELIZE CITY, Mon. May 20, 2019– Shawn Gibson, 31, a laborer of Maxboro, Sandhill, was charged with the murder of Lyndon Baldwin, 22, when he appeared today before Chief Magistrate Sharon Fraser, who explained to him that she would not take a plea because the offence is indictable, which means that a plea will only be taken if the matter is sent up to the Supreme Court for trial after a preliminary inquiry is held.
She also explained to him that she could not offer him bail because of the nature of the offence.
Gibson was remanded until July 21.
Three other persons who allegedly conspired with Gibson to commit the murder appeared before Chief Magistrate Fraser and they were arraigned on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder. They are Denver Bevans, 18; Joshua Gillett, 22; and a 17-year-old boy.
Chief Magistrate Fraser explained to them that she would not take a plea because the offence is indictable and neither could she offer them bail because of the nature of the offence.
But their attorney, Herbert Panton, submitted that based on the facts that were presented to him, there seemed to be nothing to substantiate the charge of conspiracy to commit murder against his clients. He said that all that is contained in the facts sheet is a statement that surveillance footage from a camera at the corner of Vernon Street and Youth For The Future Drive showed the trio leaving from the area along with Gibson.
He further submitted that police could not come up with the elements of the crime and that Chief Magistrate Fraser ought to use her discretion and grant the trio bail.
Chief Magistrate Fraser, who had a copy of the fact sheet before her, agreed that the facts did not indicate much. She asked the prosecutor for a short adjournment, following which the police should be able to come up with more facts to support the charge, otherwise she would consider bail.
The trio was remanded until May 28.
Baldwin was shot and killed on May 13, while he was below the elevated flat of a house, the residence of Hilberto Perez, Jr., located at 4549, corner of Ebony Street and Youth For The Future Drive. Police reported that acting on information they received, they went to the area and when they arrived there, they saw the lifeless body of Baldwin lying on the ground, face up, with two gunshot wounds to his neck. Baldwin was transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.