Jury begins deliberations in nightclub shooting
(CNS): A jury began deliberating on Tuesday, around 3:00 in the afternoon, in the Fete violent feud shooting case after the judge spent some four hours summarising the law and the evidence. After a long trial, the seven jurors will need to decide on a list of charges against the four defendants. The crown claims that Malik and Tashika Mothen were the protagonists in the violent attack and shooting in February in which Daniel Bennett and Carlney Campbell were injured outside the West Bay Road club, as a result of an ongoing feud. Prosecutors also state that Kashwayne Hewitt, who is the only defendant who has admitted possession of the gun, also tried to kill Campbell.
The fourth defendant, Daniella Tibbetts, is charged with possession of an illegal firearm because the gun that Hewitt has owned up to was found in her toilet cistern during the police raid on her apartment, where Hewitt was staying at the time.
Tibbetts has denied knowing anything about the gun and the Mothens have denied the allegations that they tried to kill Bennett or Campbell or instigating the violence. Malik Mothen has, however, admitted hitting Bennett with a knuckleduster before walking away from the scene. While Hewitt has claimed he took the gun used on Bennett, who escaped being shot, and Campbell who did not, to save Campbell’s life, he has denied shooting anyone or being involved in the attack. He said he was left with the weapon after the incident because Mothen would not take it back.
All of the defence attorneys argued that the crown’s case was poor and speculative, as it relied largely on the accounts of two violent and aggressive offenders, one of whom was extremely drunk and unable to recall most of the events of the night. The witnesses’ accounts of the evening deviate considerably and the lawyers also said there were significant inconsistencies and implausibilities in their evidence. While CCTV puts all four of the individuals at the location at the time of the shooting, it does not show the actual crime and shows only Hewitt in possession of a weapon seconds after the incident.
The four men and three women of the jury will return separate verdicts for each of the defendants based on the different counts they all faced. While both the Mothens and Hewitt are charged with attempted murder, jurors have also been offered an alternative count of GBH with intent.
