Senior Reporter
derek.achong@guardian.co.tt
A prison officer has been acquitted of murdering a colleague with whom he was involved in a love triangle.
Jevon Atiba Sylvester was found not guilty by a 12-member jury before Justice Maria Busby-Earle-Caddle at the Hall of Justice in Port-of-Spain yesterday afternoon.
Sylvester was not immediately released, as he participated in the hearing via video link from the Maximum Security Prison in Arouca because he could not be transported to court due to the ongoing maxi taxi strike.
He was expected to be released later yesterday afternoon.
Sylvester had been accused of murdering 37-year-old Dominique Bernard in June 2014, when he was 23 years old.
Bernard was stabbed to death at the Claxton Bay apartment of a female colleague with whom both men had been romantically involved.
The woman had allegedly ended her relationship with Bernard before beginning a relationship with Sylvester months before the fatal incident.
A day before the stabbing, Sylvester allegedly argued with Bernard after finding him at the woman’s apartment during an unplanned visit.
He returned the following day to collect a cellphone he had allegedly left behind.
According to the evidence, Sylvester left his mother, Michelle, in the car and went to the apartment, where he became involved in an altercation with Bernard. Bernard was stabbed several times and died at the scene.
Sylvester drove away with his mother but surrendered to police several hours later.
Prosecutors alleged that when Sylvester first confronted Bernard a day before the killing, he threatened him and displayed the knife later used in the incident.
Sylvester testified in his own defence and firmly denied the allegation, which the prosecution relied on to suggest the stabbing was premeditated.
During the trial, Sylvester’s attorney, Dane Halls, argued that his client should be acquitted because he acted in self-defence after being attacked by Bernard.
Halls pointed to a medical report prepared after Sylvester surrendered to police. The report showed that he had sustained blunt-force injuries and two bite marks.
The jury appeared to accept Halls’ interpretation of the evidence, returning not guilty verdicts on both the charge of murder and the alternative count of manslaughter by provocation.
Speaking with Guardian Media after the verdict, Halls described the outcome as bittersweet.
He said he was pleased with the jury’s decision but remained saddened by the circumstances of the case.
“We cannot be all too happy because someone died in that unfortunate incident. We want to send our condolences to the family of the deceased,” Halls said.
He also lamented the length of time his client spent in custody before being able to defend himself at trial.
