After two weeks of trial and nearly five hours of jury deliberation which ended late Tuesday evening, murder accused Trasuon Romario Roger Alleyne will have to be retried.
Justice Carlisle Greaves made that declaration in Supreme Court No. 3 after the foreman informed there was a hung jury.
The jurors were unable to determine whether Alleyne, of Morris Gap, Westbury Road, St Michael, murdered Rondell “Pepper”Alexander on December 13, 2019. Alexander, who received a fatal gunshot wound to the head while outside Twerks Bar, was 27 at the time.
The jury retired at 2:35 p.m. and returned twice after that to seek direction on a point and to watch videos related to the trial.
By 5:25 p.m. when Justice Greaves recalled them to find out whether they had reached a verdict, he was told they had not. They were given further directions by the prosecution at 5:52 p.m. but at 6:39
p.m. when they still had not come to a verdict, the court declared it a mistrial and informed Alleyne he would have to be retried. Alleyne remains on bail until then.
He was represented by King’s Counsel Michael Lashley and attorney Justin Leacock, while Principal State Counsel Neville Watson and State Counsel Treann Knight prosecuted.(SD)
