By PAVEL BAILEY
Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
THE Court of Appeal has ordered a retrial for a man previously sentenced to 57 years in prison for the 2018 murder of a web shop patron, ruling that his trial was unfair because he was forced to represent himself.
William Etienne, 31, won his appeal before Justices Stella Crane-Scott, Indra Charles, and Gregory Hilton.
Etienne was convicted in February 2023 by Supreme Court Justice Franklyn Williams for the murder of 42-year-old Alvin Strachan, who was shot multiple times at an FML web shop on East Street and Balfour Avenue.
According to trial testimony, Etienne visited the web shop twice before the shooting, asking for change. On his third visit, he requested to use the bathroom. Moments later, gunshots rang out, and a security guard saw Etienne accost Strachan — a disabled man — and fire multiple shots.
During sentencing, Justice Williams described the murder as “cold and calculated,” stating that Etienne had visited the store under false pretenses to confirm Strachan’s presence and even “test-fired” his gun in the bathroom before carrying out the attack.
Etienne, who had no previous convictions, faced a potential 60-year sentence but was given 57 years and 10 months, with time served on remand deducted. The sentence aligned with past appellate court rulings in similar premeditated killings.
However, the Court of Appeal overturned the conviction after finding that Etienne had been denied a fair trial. During case management, he requested a copy of his case file, but both the prosecution and his lawyer refused to provide witness statements. He reportedly received them only after firing his lawyer.
Justice Williams initially granted Etienne time to secure new legal representation but later reversed his decision and forced him to represent himself. The judge allegedly accused him of “manipulating the court.”
Etienne’s public defender, James Thompson, argued that hearsay evidence had also been admitted during the trial, further undermining its fairness.
The Court of Appeal ruled that a miscarriage of justice had occurred and ordered a retrial before the Supreme Court at a later date.
Destiny McKinney-Morley served as the prosecutor in the appeal.
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