Two freed of U23 footballer's murder

TWO men who were on trial for the murder of a national footballer in Cocorite in 2011, have been freed of the charges against them.

Akeem Gomez, also called Sprang, and Abdul Charles went on trial before Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds at the Hall of Justice in Port of Spain two weeks ago, for the January 30, 2011, murder of Muatah Taylor, 20, of Harding Place, Cocorite.

Taylor, a former student of the Mucurapo East Secondary School and a national Under 23 footballer, was ambushed by two men as he and two other friends were in a vehicle on their way home at about 9.30 am.

At the time, the trio had returned from a boat cruise. It was alleged that during the cruise, Taylor got into an argument over a woman.

On Monday, Charles, who was represented by attorney Delicia Helwig, was freed after Ramsumair-Hinds upheld a no-case submission which challenged the prosecution’s evidence.

On Tuesday, a Port of Spain jury took less than half-an-hour to return with a not-guilty verdict for Gomez, who was represented by attorney Hasine Shaikh. He was immediately released by the judge. Both attorneys challenged the testimony of the prosecution’s main witness in the case, who also turned hostile when he gave his evidence at the start of the trial. The State was represented by prosecutor Stacy Laloo-Chong.