Pascal Smith who had been accused of the 2017 murder of John Houston, was on Friday discharged of the capital offence after Justice Brassington Reynolds upheld a no-case submission in his favour.
The now twenty-nine-year-old Smith called ‘Pop Skull’ had been accused of the charge which alleged that he murdered Houston on May 27th, 2017, at Alexander Street, Georgetown.
At the close of the prosecution’s case, defence attorney Siand Dhurjon made a submission, advancing that the State had failed to prove its case against his client, and it should be withdrawn from the jury.
The prosecution’s case against Smith had been that he had beaten Houston by stamping him on to the ground and pelting his head with a brick until he became motionless.
Alleged eyewitness Budhu Persaud had told police that he had seen Smith beat the deceased.
During the trial, however, the man recanted his story, stating that not only had he not witnessed the incident, but did not know Houston or Smith who he had pointed out at an identification (ID) parade.
Following submissions from Dhurjon, Justice Reynolds ruled that the State had failed to establish a prima facie case against Smith, and that there was therefore no case for him to answer.
In the circumstances, the judge directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty.
Prosecutor Seeta Bishundial has already indicated that the State will be appealing.
Weeks after his arrest, Smith was among just over a dozen prisoners who had escaped from prison.
He was, however, apprehended on July 18th, 2017, after being found in a pit latrine in the Kitty area from which he hails.
