Providenciales, 26 Mar 2015 – There are mixed reactions to the verdict in the murder trial of Cortez Simmons; a 12-member jury took over six hours to deliberate the facts of the case and returned a ‘guilty’ for the 31-year old. We are told the accused and his family were still, very silent at the reading of the four man, eight woman jury outcome which initially came 10 guilty, two not guilty and concluded with 11 of the jurors deciding Simmons was guilty in the killing Keziah Burke in 2013; one person holding steady to ‘not guilty’. Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale announced the ‘guilty’ verdict in the end; it carries a life sentence. We learned that police were on stand-by with a tactical unit prepared, in the event of riotous reaction to the jury decision. Residents took to social media to express themselves on the case, which started on March 3rd; and had been expected to wrap up since mid-month.
