by Roy Davis (freelance writer)
BELIZE CITY, Tues. Feb. 4, 2025
Shane Jones, 36, a resident of Conch Shell Bay who was convicted of manslaughter for the brutal beating of Edwin Usher, 49, which resulted in his death, was sentenced to 15 years, 4 months and 20 days in prison, today by Justice Nigel Pilgrim.
After he considered the aggravating and mitigating factors, Justice Pilgrim put the starting point for the calculation of the sentence at 16 years, then he added 2 years to it because of the aggravating factors, which he said, consisted of the repeated acts of violence by Jones against Usher that were caught on video camera, which showed Jones stomping the deceased on his head after the deceased was lying on the ground incapacitated, as well as the fact that the beating was committed in the public view. Justice Pilgrim described the acts of violence as barbaric, and he said that there were no mitigating factors. Nevertheless, he subtracted 1 year from the resulting 18 years because Jones showed that he may be taking steps to address his behavior. Also, the social inquiry report that was prepared prior to the sentence made reference to an assessment which stated that he “demonstrates a strong sense of accountability for his actions” and he is aware that he needs to make better choices. The subtraction of 1 year resulted in a sentence of 17 years, and Justice Pilgrim further subtracted the time Jones spent on remand, which amounted to 1 year, 7 months and 10 days. That resulted in a final sentence of 15 years. 4 months and 20 days. The sentence is to take effect from December 19, 2024, when Jones was convicted.
The incident occurred on November 23, 2019, on Vernon Street. Jones and Usher had a misunderstanding which led to an altercation, during which Jones beat Usher until he fell to the ground, and after Usher fell, and was apparently unconscious, Jones punched him repeatedly in his face and stomped him several times on his head.
Usher was admitted to ward at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on November 30, 2019, after he was operated on for injuries to his brain. Dr. Mario Estradabran, forensic pathologist, said that Usher died from bleeding inside his cranial cavity.
Jones’ defense was that he went to a shop to make a purchase for a woman, and during the process he dropped the money. He claimed that the deceased and another man picked up the money, and when he demanded that the money be returned to him, an altercation ensued and he defended himself.
However, the video footage provided enough evidence to refute Jones’ version of the incident, and he was found guilty.
Initially, Jones was charged with murder, but he was indicted for the charge of manslaughter.
Jones was represented by attorney Norman Moore, while the Crown was represented by Crown Counsel Glenfield Dennison.