17-year-old girl charged for stabbing student-athlete placed on $15,000 bail
A 17-year-old student of the Bethel High School was granted bail in the sum of $15,000 after being charged with stabbing student-athlete Alia McDowall in her right buttocks, upper chest, and anterior neck with a knife.
Doriel Duncan of Barrouallie appeared at the Serious Offences Court on March 3, 2026 before Chief Magistrate Colin John, where she was charged that on November 28, 2024 at Peters Hope, she did unlawfully and maliciously wound Alia McDowall,17, of Barrouallie with intent so to do.
Because of a common law principle called the ‘year and a day rule’ that is used to limit homicide charges if death occurs more than a year and a day after the injury is sustained, Duncan cannot be charged with murder or manslaughter.
Duncan was not allowed to plea to the indictable charge laid against her and Prosecutor Renrick Cato, did not object to her bail.
However, he asked for a sufficient surety, the surrender of travel documents and receipt of reporting conditions.
Chief Magistrate John then granted Duncan bail in the sum of $25,000 with one surety. She is to report at the Barrouallie Police Station every Tuesday and Thursday between 8:00 a.m and 8:00 p.m.
She was also ordered to surrender all travel documents, and the matter was adjourned to April 2, 2026. Duncan’s lawyer Grant Connell, who said that this matter is “very unfortunate,” noted that there were some systemic “failures” in how it was handled.
Connell said that he does not know why the matter took so long to be taken to court and that it “could have been ventilated” at an earlier date.
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