Only suspect in Yates killing was also murdered

(CNS): Victor Yates was just 22 years old when he was gunned down near Super C’s restaurant in West Bay in the early morning hours of 3 January 2015. Yates sustained a single gunshot wound to the head, and the case is the coldest of cases for the RCIPS because they believe they have already identified and charged the man who killed him. However, the suspect was never convicted as he was acquitted because the witnesses who had given comprehensive and detailed statements against him refused to testify in court as his trial approached. But soon after becoming a free man, the suspect was also murdered in another case that has yet to be solved.

In the last inquest heard by the recent session of the Coroners Court, the jury heard from Detective Inspector Collin Oremule, the original investigating officer on the case, who outlined what police believed happened and confirmed that they still believe Yates was killed by Justin Manderson.

The police had originally charged Manderson based on eye-witness evidence from at least two people and a reported confession he made to another person, who then reported that conversation to investigators. Oremule said that there are no other suspects in the case and even if the witnesses now changed their minds and decided to testify, there is no one to prosecute.

Yates was reportedly shot by Manderson over a dispute relating to a motorcycle. Although Yates was known to police and was friendly with local gang members in West Bay, he was not an active member of the rival groups at the time known as the Birth Tree Hill or the Logwoods gangs. Many onlookers were nearby when Yates was shot in the head at relatively close range with a small caliber weapon.

Manderson was seen by many people that night showing off the gun and even firing it into the ground at an event at Super Cs. He was also seen pointing a gun at Yates’ head and pulling the trigger by several eye-witnesses and had left the scene with at least four other people in what appeared to be an air of confidence that no one would testify against him.

Although some of Yates’ friends were initially prepared to give evidence, for undisclosed reasons that were assumed to be fear of reprisal, as the trial approached the witnesses began to withdraw their testimony.

The jury questioned the detective about witness protection but heard that while Cayman has a protection programme in place, it is a very difficult decision for people to make as it often means leaving most of one’s family behind to be relocated to another country.

The detective spoke of the trauma for Yates’ family, who not only lost their son but also face the reality that his friends were not prepared to go to court and say what had happened to him. Yates’ mother was present in court for the inquest, and as the jury confirmed the case as an unlawful killing, Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez, who had presided over the case, offered her sympathies to her and said she hoped that the inquest had offered some answers for her.

The magistrate thanked the jury for almost two weeks of service for the Coroners Court and commended their hard work and commitment. She noted the importance of what they had done but also expressed her own concerns over the lack of witnesses willing to come forward in any of the four murder cases that they had tackled during the court’s sitting, as she urged people to come forward and assist the police to put the right people behind bars.