Photo: Lolman Richard Logan
by Roy Davis (freelance reporter)
BELIZE CITY, Fri. July 14, 2023
Lolman Richard Logan, 43, who was charged with the murder of Christopher Meighan, 21, was found not guilty of the charge today by Justice Ricardo Sandcroft.
Logan’s attorney, Leeroy Banner, in his final submission, created enough doubt in Justice Sandcroft’s mind of Logan’s guilt by suggesting that the killer was Rufino Hernandez, a.k.a. “Shatta”, who was initially charged jointly with Logan, but the charge against him was withdrawn.
Justice Sandcroft was not satisfied that the Crown had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, so he acquitted Logan.
The incident occurred on the night of September 27, 2018, in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye. Meighan’s butchered body was found in a room of Central Park Hotel, located on Barrier Reef Drive. He was in a sitting position against the wall between two beds. There were multiple cut wounds to his face and body, and his throat had been slashed.
An employee of the hotel, testified that Logan, the deceased, and another man rented a room at the hotel. He said Logan handed over his identification card and signed the guest register. He said Logan paid the $80 that was the nightly rate for the room, with a credit card, then the three of them went to the room.
Miah identified Logan as the person sitting in the dock and in video footage that was retrieved by the police from the hotel.
The Crown’s main evidence, however, was video footage obtained from the hotel which showed Logan at the door of the room with a large knife in his hand and blood on his shirt. The second man, who was identified as Hernandez, was seen leaving the room before Logan came to the door with the knife in his hand.
After Crown Counsel Reese Cattouse closed the case for the Crown, Justice Sandcroft told Logan of his three rights, that he could testify from the witness stand and be subjected to possible cross- examination, that he could give a statement from the dock for which he could not be cross-examined, or he could remain silent.
Logan chose to give a statement from the dock. He said that he is the father of two children, a girl, 9, and a boy, 4, and that he had been locked up in prison for 4 years and 9 months. He said that he was never arrested before and that he had never been in any prior trouble with the law.
He stated that he, Meighan and Hernandez, left Caye Caulker and went to San Pedro and he rented a room at Central Park Hotel. He said that all three of them had been drinking, and while they were in the room, an argument ensued between Meighan and Hernandez over drugs. He said that Meighan assaulted Hernandez with a knife and during the struggle, Hernandez cut Meighan’s throat with a knife. He said he intervened and tried to separate them and he managed to take away the knife from Hernandez, and Hernandez left the room and the hotel.
Logan said that he went to the door with the knife in his hand and he was so confused and traumatized, and that it was the first time he had witnessed something like that, so he took off his shirt to get some fresh air.
He said that he had been telling the police all along that it was not he, but “Shatta”, who killed Meighan.