Duo freed of murder following defence’s no-case submission

Roberto Miggins, called “Hot Skull,” and Quasi Benjamin, called “Rambo”, were on Thursday acquitted on a murder charge after Justice Brassington Reynolds upheld no-case submissions made by their attorney and directed the jury to return formal verdicts of not guilty.

The men had been on trial at the High Court in Demerara for the murder of gold miner Hilton Smith, which occurred on October 14, 2016, at Mazawini Backdam, Port Kaituma, North West District (NWD). They had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Based on reports, Smith, called “Hilary”, of Pomeroon River, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), was shot and killed after a group of men with high-powered rifles pounced on a mining camp and opened fire.
Workers ran for cover in the nearby bush. The gunmen reportedly carted off with a quantity of raw gold. After the gunmen left, Smith’s body was discovered with several gunshot wounds.
In June 2019, Miggins and Benjamin were acquitted of the October 2016 murder of Mario Pozzer, a Brazilian gold miner. The men were discharged after the Trial Judge upheld no-case submissions made by their lawyers and directed the jury to return formal verdicts of not guilty.
According to reports, the bullet-riddled body of Pozzer was discovered at 10 Miles, Port Kaituma, next to the All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) he used to get to and from his mining camp.