Laventille man sentenced to hang for 2009 murder

THE death sentence was read out to a Laventille man on Friday after he was found guilty of a 2009 murder on the Eastern Main Road in the district.

Kevon “Bibi” Leigh was convicted by Justice Gail Gonzales, who presided over his virtual judge-only trial, which began in February.

He was charged with the May 2, 2009, murder of Marlon Ken Hewitt, of Wharton Street, Laventille.

It was alleged Hewitt, a security guard, was walking on the Eastern Main Road, near the Success Laventille Secondary School, at about 7.15 am, when a gunman approached and began shooting.

On Friday, Gonzales delivered her verdict, saying she disbelieved the oral evidence of two of the State’s main witnesses, who were deemed hostile at the trial.

The witnesses, who were 16 and 18 at the time, testified that the statements they gave to police identifying Leigh as the killer were untrue, as they were given a name by a police officer who also beat them. They insisted they saw no one, nor did they sign any statement.

Gonzales said she did not believe their oral testimony claiming the police hadforced them to give the statements and that the statements they gave initially were correct.

Leigh’s defence was one of alibi, but the judge did not uphold this.

After she delivered her guilty verdict, the death sentence was read out on the virtual platform to Leigh, who was at the Maximum Security Prison’s court facility.

He was represented by public defenders Delicia Helwig-Robertson and Chimere Wadi. Indira Chinebas prosecuted for the State.