Stating that the prosecution had failed in establishing his connection to the murders of elderly South Road women Constance Fraser and Phyllis Caesar; Justice Jo-Ann Barlow yesterday morning discharged Phillip Suffrien who was on trial.
The trial commenced in a voir dire on Wednesday morning and concluded yesterday, following which Senior State Counsel Lisa Cave announced to the court that “the State has no further evidence against this accused.”
After highlighting the State’s failure in discharging its burden of proof and being unable to establish a prima facie case against Suffrien, Justice Jo-Ann Barlow directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty in his favour.
Suffrien is the second murder accused to have been freed within the last week as the prosecution conceded to their cases crumbling for insufficient evidence.
Just last Wednesday Matthew Munroe who had been facing trial for the 2017 murder of school teacher Kescia Branche, also walked free after the prosecution was unable to establish his link to her killing.
Unable to locate a witness it said was key to the case, the prosecution conceded defeat and Justice Sandil Kissoon directed the jury to formally return a verdict of not guilty, after explaining the State’s failure in making out its case against Munroe.
After informing a visibly relieved Suffrien yesterday morning that he would be free to go, Justice Barlow admonished him to see his freedom as an opportunity to better whatever he may have thus far achieved in life.
She further told him that he should endeavour to be remembered for what he would accomplish going forward, and not as the young man who was in jail.
“I wish you well,” the Judge then told the former-accused.
Suffrien is one of three young men who had been arrested and charged for the October 2017 murders of the two elderly women who were found bound and gagged at their Lot 243 South Road and Albert Street home.
Back in October of 2019, Imran Khan and Stephen Andrews threw themselves at the mercy of the Court and pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter; admitting to unlawfully killing the women between October 2nd and October 3rd 2017.
They were each handed life sentences with the possibility for parole only after they would have completed serving a minimum of 35 years.
Suffrien maintained his innocence and awaited his trial.
He was arraigned before the judge and jury last Wednesday, pleading not guilty to the two capital charges levelled against him.
He was represented by defence attorney Madan Kissoon.
Fraser, 89 and Caesar, 77 were found in their home by parishioners of their church whose attempts to contact them were futile. They were found bound and gagged in separate bedrooms.
Post-mortem examinations which were conducted later revealed that the women both died as a result of asphyxiation due to suffocation and manual strangulation along with trauma to their heads.
The state’s case against Khan and Andrews, which they accepted, had been that they broke and entered the South Road home shared by the elderly women, tied them up, strangled and gagged them and subsequently searched the premises for cash and other valuables.
