Anglin won’t take stand in child killing case

Devon Anglin

(CNS): The West Bay man accused of murdering four-year-old Jeremiah Barnes as he tried to kill his father in a gang-related shooting in February 2010 will not be taking the witness stand to answer the charges. Devon Anglin (29) was charged with the crime before local laws were changed to allow a judge or jury to draw a negative conclusion from a defendant’s silence. Therefore, Justice Charles Quin will not be able to draw any adverse inference by Anglin’s decision when he rules in the case, which he is hearing without a jury.

The crown completed presenting its case against Anglin Monday and lawyers for the prosecution and the defence will present their closing submissions on the case to the judge Wednesday before he retires to make his decision.

Anglin is on trial for shooting at the Barnes family car at Hell gas station in West Bay, killing Jeremiah as he sat in the back seat with next to his older brother. Both of his parents, Dorlisa and Andy Barnes, who were in the front seats of the car, gave evidence that they saw and recognized Anglin as the gunman that killed their son.

Anglin has pleaded not guilty and claimed he was not the masked gunman. In an earlier trial he was acquitted by a visiting judge but the ruling was successfully challenged on appeal by the crown and a retrial was ordered after a lengthy deliberation by the appeal court.