The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

TWO of the eight classified murder cases for 2014 are now before the courts after a man was flown to Nassau yesterday to be arraigned in connection with the recent killings in Abaco, referred to locally as “executions”.

Murphy Town resident Pedro Dean faced two counts of murder when escorted before Chief Magistrate Joyanne Ferguson-Pratt in connection with the slayings of Landris Curry and Drayson Forbes, both of Dundas Town.

“Stitchie” Dean is accused of committing these crimes on January 18.

On the Saturday in question, around 2:50am, officers were on patrol on SC Bootle Highway when they noticed the reflectors of a vehicle on a track road on the western side of the highway.

The officers followed the light and discovered a light blue Maxima with a man slumped over in the passenger seat with a gunshot wound in the back of his head. Curry was pronounced dead at the scene.

Later, at around 9am, police got a tip that led them to another body, this time in bushes near Bahama Coral Island.

The victim, later identified as Forbes, was also shot in the back of the head.

Dean was not required to enter a plea to the charges. His case is expected to be fast-tracked to the Supreme Court for trial by a Voluntary Bill of Indictment (VBI).

The issue of bail does not arise for Dean as the court can no longer consider bail on a capital offence.

In another matter, 32-year-old Earnest Forrest of Lincoln Boulevard also faced a murder charge when arraigned before the chief magistrate.

It is alleged that he intentionally, and by means of unlawful harm, caused the death of Kendrick King-Strachan on December 31, 2013.

Forrest was not required to enter a plea to the charge and, like Dean, will be served with a VBI on May 21. He too was remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison without bail to await the presentation of the Bill that will fast-track his case to the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, a man appeared before the same magistrate for a fourth time expecting to be served with his VBI to fast-track his murder case to the Supreme Court.

Trevor Carey, 22, of Sumner Street, was arraigned last August in the beating death of Teon Morley, a two-year-old infant.

Carey is alleged to have murdered the toddler on August 16.

The child was found unresponsive in his Allen Drive home around 3pm with bodily injuries.

Carey, who was not legally represented at his arraignment, was told that his case would be fast-tracked to the Supreme Court for trial by a Voluntary Bill of Indictment.

However, he was not served with the document on his subsequent court appearances on November 19, December 5, and December 12, 2013.

The matter was adjourned to yesterday, but the Crown prosecutor in charge of his case was not present. Terry Archer, also from the Attorney General’s office, was present in court and requested an adjournment on his colleague’s behalf.