Complex start for Brian Williams Murder; Trial set for February 2024

#TurksandCaicos, November 25, 2023 – The murder case against JOUVLY INELUS, 31 for the 2022 shooting death of Brian Leon Williams, Jr was listed for pretrial review or readiness hearing on November 14.

Appearing for the Crown via link from Grand Turk was Mrs. Angela Brooks, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions and the accused was also linked in from the prison.

His Lordship, Hon Mr. Justice Chris Selochan and the senior defense counsel Mrs. Lara Maroof Misick were present in the Providenciales Supreme Court.

At the hearing counsel for the defendant and the Judge outlined to the Deputy DPP certain areas of difficulty regarding further disclosure and/or the lack thereof.

At that hearing Magnetic Media learned that the Crown already lost one of its main witnesses who was initially deemed a vulnerable witness and whose identity was kept anonymous from the Defense.

This order was handed down in a private ex-parte hearing before her Ladyship the Hon Chief Justice Mrs. Mable Agyemang before the sufficiency hearing proceedings commenced.

An Anonymity Order granted in support of agreement to suppress the identity of the person who had agreed to testify on behalf of the Crown was compromised when one of two key witnesses of the Crown, revealed himself in an affidavit.

Having received the affidavit from the witness’ attorney, the Crown decided they will not be relying on him as part of the Crown’s case any longer. In light of that, at the hearing Mrs. Maroof-Misick asked the court and the Deputy DPP to please provide her with that witness’ complete statement bearing his name and all details that were redacted previously, which had been served on the defense when he was under the anonymity order.

The judge agreed that the information was now fair game and should be given to the defense because it is now unused material since the Crown is not calling the individual as a witness in the murder trial next year FEBRUARY.

That former Crown witness whose name was mentioned repeatedly in opened court, also admitted in his sworn affidavit that he received money and lied in his initial investigative statement to the Police.

Mrs. Maroof Misick has already indicated to the Court and the prosecution that she may be making an abuse of process application to have the proceedings against her client permanently stayed having viewed the affidavit and if the no name “Witness #1” was a part of the alleged bribery as mentioned in the affidavit among other legal concerns, her client would not be able to receive a fair trial.  Maroof-Misick said the matter against Inelus must be stayed/stopped against him.

Mrs. Brooks, who was in lieu of  the actual prosecutor in the case indicated to the court that she could not properly address the Court on many of the matters raised at the hearing. She said, the case is assigned to Principal Public Prosecutor Mr. Clement Joseph but he’s away on medical leave.

The judge reminded all that this case is fixed for trial in February of next year and he doesn’t want to lose that date. He strongly encouraged Mrs. Brooks to have all the defense requests fulfilled, because February is right around the corner and he wants no further delays in this matter. He set the case for another pre-trial date on Tuesday November 21^st, 2023.

The Blue Hills, Providenciales man was formally charged on Saturday 12th November, 2022 with the murder of Brian Leon Williams Jr. by officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force.

In addition to murder, Inelus also faces four counts of firearm-related offences namely:

Discharging a Firearm, Discharging Ammunition, Carrying a Firearm and Carrying Ammunition.

The homicide was took place on Thursday November 3rd 2022, Williams Jr. was shot and killed at a location known as Enid Forbes Yard, Hopeland Close, Blue Hills, Providenciales.