By LAMECH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
ljohnson@tribunemedia.net
A MAN is seeking constitutional relief from the Supreme Court ahead of his retrial in connection with the murder of an elderly woman and her grandson during a break-in at their home.
Basil Gordon, 37, appeared before Senior Justice Stephen Isaacs yesterday arguing the long delay in the hearing of his case concerning the June 16, 2002, murders of Rosynell Newbold and her grandson, Kevin Wilson.
Gordon, alias Kerri Nash Grant, was initially convicted and sentenced to death for the home invasion murders.
However, the Court of Appeal quashed the conviction and ordered a retrial on December 12, 2005.
Prosecutors did not schedule a new trial date until June 2011.
Gordon had previously argued a constitutional motion before then-Senior Justice Jon Isaacs asking the court to stay the proceedings against him as he had been in custody since 2002 and suffered inhumane treatment throughout his time in prison.
The judge, however, rejected the constitutional motion.
Crown prosecutor Viola Barnett is expected to respond to the motion in today’s hearing.
Romona Farquharson-Seymour defends Gordon.
His trial was scheduled to begin yesterday, but there were not enough jurors for the empanelling process.
The jury pool was asked to return to court on Wednesday.
Comments
TheMadHatter 9 years, 6 months ago
The Court of Appeal ordered a retrial in Dec 2005 - and he has NOT had it YET?
This man should now be set free by the Courts.
THINK OF ALL THE THINGS YOU have done since Dec 2005? Really think about your life since then. This man has been sitting in a cell ALL THAT TIME awaiting a trial.
That is ridiculous - and our Constitution protects us from just being thrown in jail and left there unless we are fully convicted in our guilt.
YOU could be the one in jail - without trial for the past 10 years.
Yes - he may be guilty of murder. If he is, then the prosecutors should have brought forth their evidence LONG AGO and convicted this man and then he can serve life in prison or whatever. But the Constitution says you cannot just serve life in prison because you are put there on accusation alone, and simply forgotten about.
This sounds like something you would hear about in Uganda, or Mozambique, or Tanzania, or Sierra Leone, etc. Are we a backward 3rd world country? Apparently so.
TheMadHatter
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