The former firefighter was charged for fatally stabbing his cousin
BELIZE CITY, Fri. October 25, 2019– Tishaun Hamilton, 25, a former firefighter charged with the murder of his cousin, Eaton Lamb, 17, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter when he appeared today before Madam Justice Marilyn Williams.
Hamilton’s sentencing has been deferred until December 9 in order for the court to obtain a social inquiry report, a victim impact statement, and testimony from character witnesses on Hamilton’s behalf.
The incident for which he was charged, occurred on February 18, 2017. The police reported that while they were on mobile patrol on Antelope Street, their attention was drawn to two persons who were involved in a loud argument. On hearing the words, “you done stab me, boy”, the officers ran to where the persons were and saw them running in their direction.
One of them, later identified as Hamilton, had a knife in his hand and was chasing the other person, later identified as Lamb. Lamb was bleeding profusely from his chest.
When he was about 10 feet away from the officers, Hamilton turned around and ran. He was ordered by the officers to stop, but he refused to do so. It was not until one of the officers fired a warning shot in the air that Hamilton stopped. He was seen throwing the knife into a bushy drain.
Police immediately detained him. Lamb was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he succumbed to a stab wound in the right side of the chest.
The following day, February 19, Hamilton gave police a caution statement in which he admitted he inflicted the stab wound to Lamb. Hamilton said in the statement that he approached Lamb at about 11 p.m. on February 17, to confront him about money that Lamb had borrowed from him.
Hamilton said Lamb acted in a disrespectful manner, which led to an argument between them. The argument led to an altercation and during the struggle, he stabbed lamb, said Hamilton.
Hamilton said he did not intend to kill Lamb.
Hamilton was charged with murder and was arraigned on the charge on February 20, 2017. On September 7, 2017, he was committed to stand trial in the Supreme Court.
Hamilton was represented in court today by attorney Richard “Dickie” Bradley; while Senior Crown Counsel Sheneiza Smith represented the Crown.