Bermudez is attempting to have his conviction and sentence quashed – for the third time

Ex-Belize Defense Force soldier Glenford “Bucket” Bermudez, 42, appeared today before the Justices of the Court of Appeal, where, for a second time in only three months, a lawyer informed the justices that after perusing the case file, they found no legal grounds that would support an appeal.

On April 27, 2011, Bermudez was convicted of shooting and killing his wife, Racquel Requeña Bermudez, 41, after a jury of twelve deliberated for just over four hours and arrived at a guilty verdict.

It was alleged that on November 22, 2007, as Requeña was driving her taxicab on the Burrell Boom Road, she was forced off the road by a vehicle being driven by her estranged husband, Bermudez, who then used a shotgun to shoot her in the head, causing her instant death.

Reports are that after allegedly killing Requeña, Bermudez then drove further up the Hattieville/Boom Road to the Burrell Boom dump site, where he met some men and asked one of them for a piece of rope or wire because he wanted to catch a cow.

After cutting off the wire from a fan, he ran into the bushes where he reportedly told one of Requeña’s nephews that he had just killed her and was now going to kill himself. The young man ran toward the spot where Bermudez had been given the wire and told the man in charge what he was told.

All of them then made their way in the direction in which Bermudez had gone, and that was when they came up on the scene of Bermudez hanging from a tree with the piece of wire tied around his neck.

He was cut down by the man in charge, and after regaining consciousness, he escaped, but police were able to apprehend him later that day and charged him with Requeña’s murder.

In March of this year, Bermudez had applied to the Court of Appeal to have his conviction and sentence quashed, and was represented by attorney Anthony Sylvester.

But when the case was called, Sylvester told the court that after perusing the case, he found no legal grounds with which he could proceed with the appeal, and made an application to the court that he be granted leave from the proceedings, which was upheld.

Well, it was déjà vu all over again for Bermudez, as this morning, his new attorney, Hubert Elrington, told the court that he didn’t think he would be able to assist Bermudez because after going over the case, he hadn’t found any legal grounds to support the appeal.

After telling the court of his findings, or lack thereof, he then asked that the request be withdrawn.

But Bermudez was adamant about having his case appealed, and was given until tomorrow morning at 10:00 to find another lawyer, or the matter would proceed without one.