Woman Coast Guard, Keyren Levaun Tzib, 32, is on trial for the attempted murder of a fellow Coast Guard, 37-year-old Kurt Hyde, which occurred on April 6, 2015!
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Jan. 25, 2024
Tonight, 32-year-old Woman Coast Guard, Keyren Lavaun Tzib, accused of trying to kill her former Coast Guard colleague, 37-year-old Kurt Hyde, a resident of Ontario Village, Cayo District, on April 6, 2015, almost 9 years ago, is preparing to present her defense tomorrow morning for firing an M-4 Carbine rifle, the bullet from which allegedly hit Hyde in the head.
After so many years of waiting, Tzib’s trial for attempted murder kicked off last week Wednesday, January 17, before Justice Candace Nanton in the High Court, and is soon coming to an end.
The Crown closed its case around 10:39 this morning.
The Crown’s case is that at around 9:30 a.m., the team of Coast Guard officers, including Hyde, the Boat Captain among as many as 15 others on board the vessel, had left the San Pedro Coast Guard office heading to Belize City when, according to 3 of the Crown witnesses, Tzib, from the back of the vessel, behind Hyde, with the M-4 Carbine in her hand, fired a single shot which caught Hyde.
The Crown’s three witnesses are Noel Lanza, a BDF; Delon Castro, a boat captain for Belize Port Authority; and Tyrone Young, a Coast Guard who is now deceased.
From their testimony in court, Lanza said that in a state of readiness he saw Tzib stand up, take aim, and fire a shot.
According to Lanza, he grabbed the gun from Tzib, disarmed it, dislodged the magazine, then cleared the gun and kept Tzib there in custody.
Castro, in his testimony, said when he saw that happen he intervened by pushing down the gun after Tzib had fired the shot.
According to Castro, when he hit the gun, it was in a raising position, and that’s when Lanza grabbed hold of the gun.
Young’s statement, which was read out in court as evidence, corroborated what Castro and Lanza said. In Young’s statement, he outlined the seating of the vessel.
A total of 16 persons were on board, said Young’s statement, and it gave the court an idea of where individuals were sitting prior to the shooting.
Young also said in his statement that Tzib pointed the gun towards the front of the boat, then he heard a loud bang.
Tzib’s attorney, Darrell Bradley made a no case submission, but the judge, Madam Candace Nanton, rejected the defense’s no case submission and adjourned for tomorrow morning at 9:00, for the defense to present their case.
In attorney Bradley’s no case submission, he submitted to the court that the crown had not proved the charge of attempted murder against Tzib, and that the gun had been discharged or fired by accident.
With that said, Bradley asked Justice Nanton to stop the trial at this junction because of the tenuous nature of the evidence. He cited the Galbraith test, which says if the evidence of the prosecution taken at its highest could not reasonably persuade a jury so that they are sure that the defendant is guilty of the crime she is charged with, then the judge or court should stop the case.
But Justice Nanton did not agree with attorney Bradley, and so called Tzib to answer to the charge.
Tzib is expected to give a dock statement tomorrow. Her attorney indicated to the court that they will be calling four witnesses to the stand in her defense.
Those witnesses include, Ingrid Clare, a psychiatric nurse practitioner; Crystal Humes, clinical psychologist; Alicia Fries (mother of Tzib); and Dr. Richard Aloevera.
Keyren Tzib is presently out on bail offered to her in the sum of $10,000 by the High Court in 2023.