Twenty-five-year-old Nigel Thomas of James and Victoria Streets, Albouystown, Georgetown, who was on trial for the murder of Kyle Chase, was on Wednesday freed after a jury returned a verdict of not guilty.
The young man was accused of murdering 23-year-old Kyle Chase during a scuffle at Guyhoc Park, Georgetown on December 30, 2019. Seven days later, he was charged and remanded to prison. After a preliminary inquiry, he was admitted to stand trial in the High Court.
It was reported that both Thomas and the late Chase had shared a relationship with a female, and on the night in question, they were invited over to her house at Mazaruni Street, Guyhoc Park, Georgetown. While at the house, an argument that broke out between the two men quickly escalated into a scuffle, during which Thomas was allegedly struck in the head, thus rendering him unconscious. He subsequently regained consciousness at the Georgetown Public Hospital, but it was only then that he was informed that Chase had been stabbed.
During the trial, presided over by Justice Sandil Kissoon in the Demerara High Court, Thomas was represented by Dexter Todd, Jevon Cox, and Donette Anthony, while the state was represented by Cicelia Corbin, Simran Gajraj, Rabina Christmas and Madana Rampersaud.
Dead: Kyle Chase
In a statement issued on Thursday, the law firm of Dexter Todd and Associates said the trial commenced on May 30, 2023 and lasted only four days.
“Thomas related to the court that he was attacked by the deceased and the deceased’s cousin at his then-girlfriend’s home. He lost consciousness twice, and was unaware of who stabbed the deceased or how he got stabbed. He highlighted to the court that he did not commit the offence, and had no intention of causing any harm to the deceased,” the statement added.
In addition, the release stated that there were no witnesses in the matter who could have contradicted Thomas’s account.
“The witnesses also failed to establish that Thomas had any intention to cause injury to the deceased, or that he actually inflicted the wound,” according to Dexter Todd and Associates.
As such, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty in the matter, setting Thomas free after he had been incarcerated for over three years.
