BELIZE CITY, Tues. June 4, 2019– Henry Jacobs, 31, who was convicted of the murder of Brian Welch, 49, on July 20, 2018, was given a life sentence yesterday by Justice Marilyn Williams.

Jacobs will be eligible for parole after 20 years, and his sentence is to commence from April 2012, when he was remanded.

Before she decided on the sentence, Justice Williams heard pleas for mitigation on May 22, 2019, from two character witnesses and Jacobs’ attorney, Hubert Elrington. Welch, aka “Yankee”, was shot and killed on April 29, 2012.

At Jacobs’ trial, which was without a jury, the main witness was a police officer who testified that while he was on Central American Boulevard, he saw Jacobs and several other men having a dispute with Welch.

The officer said that Jacobs left on a motorcycle and returned shortly afterwards, and then he, the officer, heard gunshots.

Welch was shot in his mouth, his chest and his abdomen. He reportedly ran and collapsed under a coconut tree, where he died.

Jacobs gave a statement from the dock in which he said that he was nowhere near the scene. He said that at the time of the incident he was at a farm at Mile 8 on the George Price Highway.

Jacobs called one witness to corroborate his alibi story. But after she heard the witness’ testimony, Justice Williams rejected it and found Jacobs guilty.

The Crown was represented by Crown Counsel Sherigne Rodriguez.