by Roy Davis (freelance reporter)
BELIZE CITY, Mon. Nov. 6, 2023
Marlon Everett, 33, aka “Yankee”, charged with the murder of Albert Johnson, was found guilty of the charge in a judgement that was given today by Justice Candace Nanton. She has deferred sentencing until January 18, 2024.
Johnson was shot and killed at about 11:00 p.m. on April 20, 2018. A video footage obtained from the camera of a house on Rectory Lane, showed Johnson and three other persons walking on Rectory Lane, heading towards Southern Foreshore, with Johnson about 6 feet ahead. One of them walked up behind Johnson and shot him twice to the back of his head from point blank range. Johnson fell to the ground and the other three turned around and ran, heading towards the junction of Regent Street and Rectory Lane.
The Crown, represented by Senior Crown Counsel Sheneiza Smith, relied mainly on the evidence of police corporal Rollington Fuller and Jayden August, who both identified Everett as the shooter in video footage on Rectory Lane that was admitted as evidence. Fuller was shown the video footage on April 21, 2018, and he identified Everett as the person who shot Johnson. Fuller said he knows Everett for about 10 years and he recognized Everett not only by his features, but also by his gait and body structure.
August was declared a hostile witness after he took the witness stand and contradicted most of the things he had stated in two statements he gave to the police. He gave the first statement on April 25, 2018, and he gave the second statement on July 11, 2019. Both statements were admitted as evidence along with a video recording of them. August positively identified Everett as the shooter, known to him as Yankee, in the video footage of the incident. August later identified Everett as Yankee in a group identification that was held on July 11, 2019.
After the Crown closed its case and Justice Nanton told Everett of his three options, Everett gave a statement from the dock in which he said that at the time of the shooting he was at home with his wife on Rocky Road. He said that he came out of his house when he heard the gunshots and he saw neighbours coming out of their homes to see what was happening. He said that the next day the police came to his house and told him that he was wanted in connection with a murder. But Justice Nanton rejected his dock statement.
Everett did not call any witness to support his alibi statement.
Everett was represented by attorney Bryan Neal.