Basil Morgan, believed to have been part of a gang that perpetrated several terror-related crimes almost nine years ago, was on Monday acquitted of murdering
Basil Morgan
Woddet Roberts, called “Buck Man”, who was killed during a robbery committed between November 3 and 4, 2009.
Justice James Bovell-Drakes, presiding at the hearing of the case, upheld Defence Attorney Lyndon Amsterdam’s no-case submission. The attorney contended in his closing address that the post mortem examination performed on Roberts was inconclusive, and he also noted that police never stated the exact location where Roberts had died.
Police had accused Morgan of being part of the gang that robbed the now deceased man and others, before they stole a Toyota Tacoma vehicle along the Linden-Soesdyke highway. However, in Justice Bovell-Drakes’s view, the prosecution did not provide enough evidence to make out a case against the accused.
Though he was acquitted of murder, Morgan remains incarcerated, as he has other matters pending before the court.
The accused held out that he was not responsible for Woddet’s murder, but other members of the alleged gang had admitted to their terror-related crimes. These included David Anthony Watson, called “Tupac”; Randy Mars, known as “Ratty”; and Jafar Simpson, who in April were all sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to manslaughter for killing Roberts. They were additionally sentenced for other terror-related crimes.
Gang leader Colin Jones had also admitted guilt for the 2009 terror acts, and was sentenced to 80 years’ imprisonment for the offences he had committed between 2009 and 2010.
Reports suggest that on the night of the rampage which followed the death of Roberts, the gang had allegedly set fire to a public building – Registry department of the Supreme Court of Judicature.
The State’s case was led by Prosecutor Tuanna Hardy.
