Jock writes: “I want to jump in the ocean. I want to jump into the beautiful Caribbean sea and wash off the circumstances of the prison for us,” Michael Spicer said today after High Court Justice Kenneth Benjamin acquitted him of all charges. “Justice has been done.”
According to the website for Court TV, this morning Judge Benjamin aborted the trial against Michael Spicer, and his friends Alexander Benedetto and Evan George. Police had charged them with participating in the murder of Louis McMillan in January 2000.
“You are discharged,” Benjamin said after he directed the jury to enter verdicts of not guilty in each case. “You are free to go. Step out of the box.”
The Judge called the case against Spicer “less than thin,”
referring to the .003 grams of sand that the prosecution claimed put Spicer on the rocky shoreline where the victim’s body was found. He blasted prosecutors Theodore Guerra and Terrence Williams for attempting to trump up additional charges at the last minute. His rebuke reminded the prosecutors that they are “ministers of justice” and advised that such legal maneuvers never be attempted again.
Spicer and three friends have been in jail awaiting trial for over a year. The trial had been postponed at the prosecution’s request, twice.
A fourth defendant, William Labrador, still faces the jury because of the testimony of Jeffrey Plante, a convicted con artist who has been housed and protected from U.S. extradition by Tortola authorities while the case was pending. Plante asserted he overheard Labrador confess, while in prison.
Spicer said of Labrador: “He’s kept there by the word of a con man who lied about him and lied about me.” Spicer told reporters he was confident Labrador would be cleared as well, and predicted:
“I’ll be home in America tomorrow I believe.” Woo-hoo! Keep reading to see Jock’s full write-up.
I should use this space to thank Jock for his excellent and well-timed write-up on Spicer’s release. Jock provided some good perspective in his comments after earlier stories, too.
Welcome home, Michael.
-Waldo
Yer welcome. Thanks for astute editing, and a great website.