In a rare example of judicial wisdom, a judge last week denied bail to the man accused of murdering businessman Keith Carey.
Jamal Glinton, who is also known as “Bumper”, is awaiting a third trial for Carey’s murder.
The first two trials were skewed by the usual corruption that is so pervasive in the Bahamian legal system.
Glinton is accused of shooting Carey, 43, twice outside Bank of The Bahamas International on Tonique Williams-Darling Highway on February 27, 2006. He then robbed Carey of a $40,000 deposit from the Esso Service Station that Carey operated on Carmichael Road at Faith Avenue.
The Court of Appeal quashed Glinton’s murder conviction and death sentence on November 24, 2009 and ordered a speedy trial.
Glinton’s trial was set for October. However, then Senior Justice Anita Allen removed the case from the court’s list.
In a move that stretches legal reasoning, The Court of Appeal ruled that Glinton’s trial judge erred when jurors were told not to consider murder and armed robbery charges against Glinton’s co-accused Dwight Knowles and Sean Brown.
The name of the trial judge has been played down, but it is suspected that the judge was compromised.
Knowles was given an 11-year prison sentence, and Brown a 10-year prison sentence, for conspiracy to commit robbery.
According to the evidence produced at the trial, Knowles and Brown remained in the getaway car during the robbery and murder.
In what can only be construed as corrupt, the two accomplices were found guilty while the actual murderer seems to be able to escape punishment for the crime.
Vaughn Carey, Keith Carey’s cousin, who was originally charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery testified for the prosecution in the trial in exchange for having the case against him dropped.
Carey testified that Dwight Knowles offered him $9,000 to set up the robbery. Carey claimed he never received the money.
