Shane Juarez, 23, who last year had been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2008 murder of Mark Young, 20, will no longer be serving a life sentence. Instead, his murder conviction was reduced to manslaughter by the Court of Appeal.
The decision was announced late this afternoon in the Court of Appeal by the Court of Appeal president, Manuel Sosa, who informed Juarez that for manslaughter, he will serve 15 years imprisonment.
Juarez’s appeal was allowed on the grounds that the trial judge did not direct the jury with regard to “excessive self-defense”, and manslaughter as an alternative.
Young, an employee of Marie Sharp Products, was found dead in a four-foot ditch, covered with leaves and sand in April 2008 in Hope Creek, Stann Creek Valley, just two days after being reported as missing,.
Allegedly, Juarez and Young had been drinking at a bar. They later left, and went to Juarez’s home, where Young reportedly took a machete and tried to chop Juarez, who then took the machete from him.
Subsequently, Young allegedly fell into a latrine, fracturing his skull. A post-mortem later revealed that Young died of trauma to the head caused by a blunt object.
Attorney Antoinette Moore represented Juarez.