The High Court in Castries determined the murder trial involving Johnathan “Ninja Dan” St. Rose and two co defendants a mistrial on Monday. The three were charged with the murder of Dwayne James who was stabbed to death on the morning of February 14 2009. After several adjournments the case went to trial this past February.
The judge on Monday, after a long summary of the matter reminded the twelve person jury that in handing down a guilty or not guilty verdict that the decision must be unanimous. The jurors, made of seven women and five men, retired shortly before 5 pm to deliberate. Family members of both the deceased and the accused milled in and around the Court house anxiously awaiting a verdict.
However at about 8:45 pm a bailiff proceeded to inform those waiting, that the matter was deemed a mistrial and that the case would be retried June 1 2015. The accused were returned to the Bordelais Correctional Facility.
The STAR was reliably informed that all but one juror had returned a not guilty verdict meaning that a unanimous decision could not be arrived at.
Read a detailed account of the trial in this Weekend’s STAR newspaper.
