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Denys Williams’ alleged killers committed to stand trial in Supreme Court

HeadlineDenys Williams’ alleged killers committed to stand trial in Supreme Court

Two Belize City men who are accused of the November 12, 2012 murder of Three Star Quality security guard Denys Anthony Williams, were committed to stand trial in the June session of the Supreme Court, after Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith ruled that the preliminary inquiry found enough evidence against them.

Stephan Devon Jenkins, 19, and Ashton Steve Thompson, 19, both gave police caution statements after they were arrested for the shooting death of Williams, who was doing his security guard work when the two men attempted to rob the business place, located on Vernon Street.

According to court documents, both men incriminated themselves in the caution statement that they gave to police. That, along with an eyewitness statement, provided the prima facie evidence necessary for the Chief Magistrate to commit them to stand trial in the high court.

Both Jenkins and Thompson were unrepresented by an attorney at the preliminary inquiry. When it was time for them to speak in court, Thompson said he had nothing to say to refute the evidence that the police had amassed against him.

In contrast, however, his alleged partner in crime, Jenkins, was very vocal in challenging the police’s evidence in the case.

Jenkins told the court that the case should be thrown out, because “the evidence that they have against me is not reliable to send to the Supreme Court.”

The Chief Magistrate Smith read the caution statement that Jenkins had given to the police. In his statement, Jenkins had said that “on November 8, 2012, me and Ashton went up to a chicken place and when Williams [the security guard] approached him [Ashton], he [Ashton] said: ‘I want what I want.’”

(Williams and Jenkins reportedly began to struggle, after Williams grabbed him.)

“The gun then fell. We were struggling, Ashton ran, then I ran…,” Jenkins had further said in his caution statement. He also mentioned in the statement that they ran in separate directions.

In his caution statement, Ashton Thompson had told police, “On November 8, 2012, between 10-11 o’clock, me and my friend went to rob a Mennonite man. But he came out before we could rob him, and he grabbed my friend. The gun fell to the ground, then I ran and that’s when I saw a GSU police officer; that’s why I threw the gun over a fence and it landed on a step…”

With the two caution statements and the eyewitness account, backed up by seventeen other statements and documents, the court prosecutor, Sergeant Egbert Castillo, was able to convince the court that there is enough evidence to commit the case to the Supreme Court.

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