Innocent or Guilty: Jury can't agree

A jury of eight women and one man on Thursday afternoon December 1, 2016 could not decide on the guilt, or innocence, of McKinley Williams of Kingshill for the death of his cousin Dwight Auguiste.

The office of the Director of Prosecutions charged Williams with the murder which occurred in Kingshill between in December 2013. Trinidad & Tobago attorney Keith Scotland led the prosecution while Darius Jones of Mahaut conducted the defence before Justice Victoria Charles-Clarke at the Roseau High Court between November 21 and December 1, 2016.

The state's position was that Williams struck down Auguiste following an altercation which began in the yard where they stayed in the house of Williams' mother. Auguiste had left the scene and gone on the road. Williams also left the yard and went on the road. One witness said she saw Williams raising and bringing down his right hand in a punching motion behind a parked truck. And that was where Auguiste's body was found when the Fire & Ambulance Service responded to a call from another witness.

The defence argued that Auguiste fell down a flight of concrete steps and banged his head on the truck at the bottom of the stairs.

The State called 12 witnesses including investigating officer Chaucer James and two doctors while the defence had two witnesses in a security guard who said he was the first person on the scene, and a schoolboy, now 15 years old who said he had seen Auguiste falling down the steps.

A planned visit to the scene of the incident needed three days to take place because of rainy weather.

Williams is out on bail and the DPP's office will consider the ramifications of a retrial.