4 guilty of robbing Russell’s Cinema, 2 guilty of murder

The trial of the four men charged with the armed robbery at Russell’s Cineplex Sunday, July 28, 2013, and the subsequent killing of a fisherman came to an end earlier this week.

A 12-member jury sitting at the High Court found Zimroy Guy, Cleroy Pinder, Chad Jacobs and Kamara George guilty of various charges put to them.

The jury sat for around three hours on Tuesday afternoon, returning once after being unable to reach an agreement on the murder charge, but returning again in unanimous agreement after 20 more minutes.

All four accused had been charged with the armed robbery of Mohendus Martin of a black wallet containing $720, and $2,239 from Russell’s Cineplex, for assaulting Martin by beating him about his body with a gun, assaulting O’Neil Belgraves occassioning actual bodily harm, having in their possession a .38 revolver and five rounds of ammunition (contained in the gun).

On the charge that Guy and Pinder did murder a fisherman, Rodney Grant, on the night of July 28, 2013, the jury were in unanimous agreement that they were guilty.

The jury was hung on the charge of assault of O’Neil Belgraves as it relates to Jacobs and George, and they were hung on the charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Mohendus Martin, as it relates to Jacobs.

Other than this, only guilty verdicts were handed down.

Prosecutor Karim Nelson for the crown had previously called 21 witnesses to the stand during the trial. Influential among these witnesses was one Symce Williams, who had pleaded guilty, and gave evidence as an accomplice.

Guy and George were represented by Attorney Stephen Williams, Pinder by Jomo Thomas and Jacobs was unrepresented.

Sentencing was adjourned to July 12.

On the night of July 28, 2013, the Russell’s Cineplex became the target of masked gunmen whose intention was to make off with sums of money, and who were reported to have caused mayhem by taking a manager hostage in making their escape.

The men eventually left through the entrance, and moments later gunshots rang through, leaving in their wake the dead body of Rodney Grant. It was speculated that Grant had seen the faces of the gunmen.