Unnamed Man Murder Trial ends in ACQUITTAL and HUNG JURY for Destine and Beaute

By Wilkie Arthur

Freelance Court Reporter

#TurksandCaicos, June 12, 2023 – A murder trial that lasted some six weeks in the Grand Turk Supreme Court reached its final decision on Friday June 2, 2023.

The duo WILKENSON BEAUTE and JAMESLY DESTINE was charged by the Serious Crime Unit of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force for the murder of an unknown/ undocumented Haitian male on April 18, 2020, at the Providenciales Landfill.

At the close of the Crown’s case earlier this week, defense counsels Oliver Smith KC for Jamesly Destine and Lara Maroof Misick for Wilkenson Beaute submitted a “NO CASE SUBMISSION APPLICATION”  to the trial judge, Hon Justice Davidson Kelvin Baptiste on behalf of their clients.

Hon. Justice Baptiste after hearing the defense and prosecution accepted and agreed with the submission of King’s Counsel Smith and therefore Jamesly Destine was acquitted on the direction of the judge to the jury to find him not guilty.

The trial continued against Wilkenson Beaute as the judge refused the no case submissions application of Maroof Misick on behalf of her client.

The case then proceeded with one defendant Wilkenson Beaute who decided to exercise his right not to testify on his own behalf against the Crown’s case.

Closing remarks and addresses began to the Jury by Counsel for the defense and following was Nayasha Hatmin, Public Prosecutor on behalf of the Crown or the office of the Director of Public Prosecution.

Immediately following was his Lordship’s Jjustice Baptiste summing up as he outlined the case for the Crown against the sole defendant and putting the defense case to the 12 member jury for its deliberation.

The jury then retired to consider the case against Wilkenson Beaute but was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.

The learned trial judge then decided to accept a majority verdict and the jury returned with seven in agreement that the defendant is ‘not guilty’ and five saying he ‘is guilty.’

The hung jury resulted in the accused being remanded; sent back to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The Office of the DPP now has to decide if it will withdraw the case and drop all charges or proceed with a retrial of Wilkenson Beaute.

Beaute’s Counsel can now make an expedient bail application as her client was remanded for over two and half years awaiting a trial which resulted in nothing more than a hung jury, unable to convict beyond a reasonable doubt in the murder of the unnamed man, found on the dump some three years ago.