A mason, Dean Hyde, 30, a.k.a “Bam,” charged with the murder of Dual Wagner, Jr., 16, appeared emotionless today as he sat in the dock and heard the forelady of the jury announce that he was found guilty of the charge, and that the verdict was unanimous.
The jury of 8 women and 4 men deliberated for about 3 ½ hours.
The trial judge, Justice John Gonzalez, deferred sentencing until Monday, August 13, in order to give Hyde’s attorney, Simeon Sampson, time to prepare a plea for mitigation.
The incident occurred in the early morning hours of Saturday, October 9, 2004, in the compound of Bismark Club, located at #43 Queen Charlotte Street. Wagner was shot in his forehead from close range as he stepped out of the restroom, situated in a separate building at the back of the club. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.
The prosecution, represented by Deputy Director of Public Prosecution Cheryl Lyn Branker-Taitt, called one eyewitness, Carlton Lord, Jr. who testified that he saw Hyde shoot Wagner.
Lord said he was outside the club, near the restroom, when he saw Wagner emerge from the rest room. Shortly afterwards he saw Hyde, whom he has known for ten years, shoot Wagner, he said.
Lord testified that after the shooting, Hyde pointed his pistol at the crowd that was fleeing the club and said that if any of them talked, they would be killed.
A nolle prosequi was entered in October last year when Hyde’s case was first brought to trial, because Lord said he did not know anything about the incident and that he was set up by the police.
Lord later said he did not want to testify because he had received threats that his mother would be killed.
Lord explained that he decided to testify because his mother is going to the United States, and he believes that she will be safe there.
Hyde took the witness stand and gave an alibi testimony. He claimed that on the night before the incident he went to the house of his aunt, Bernadine Hyde, located on Police Street, from 8:00.
Hyde said he, his aunt and his cousin, Sherett Hyde, began drinking Mansion House Gin, and he became highly intoxicated. He said he fell asleep and did not awake until 5:30 a.m.
Hyde called his aunt, Bernadine, as a witness to collaborate his testimony.
She testified that she, her nephew and her daughter were drinking together and that she saw him asleep on the floor around midnight. She said he was still asleep on the floor between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. when she checked on him.
Sherett testified that her cousin could not have committed the crime because he was with her and her mother drinking. She claimed that the drinking lasted until about 2 a.m. and that at 5 a.m. Hyde was asleep on the sofa in the living room.
But the jury did not believe the testimonies of Hyde and his witnesses, and he was found guilty as charged. It was not revealed during the trial why Hyde shot Wagner.