-accused re-arrested
Justice William Ramlal yesterday quashed the indictment against a man who was accused of murdering a woman outside a city nightclub in December 2005.
It was found that during the preliminary inquiry (PI) the magistrate did not properly rule on the admissibility of a caution statement. Based on this the judge ruled that the indictment against Elroy Torres was a nullity.
State prosecutors Rhondel Weever and Shivanie Balcharan were leading the case against the accused. Weever confirmed that yesterday morning Ramlal declared the committal of Torres to trial a nullity and he was freed of the indictment and re-arrested immediately after.
Torres was subsequently taken to the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court where he was remanded to prison. Another PI will have to be conducted to decide whether there is enough evidence to commit the man to stand trial before the high court for the murder of Elizabeth Hutson, called Shelly.
Last week a mixed jury had been empanelled for Torres’ murder trial. The case was adjourned after his attorney Harris requested that the court grant him time to prepare his defence. However, Justice Ramlal informed the attorney that the court would only grant him two days since he should have already had his defence in order because he had been representing Torres since the case was in the magistrate’s court.
It is alleged that on December 19, 2005 Torres murdered Hutson in Georgetown.
Reports reaching this newspaper in December 2005 had said that Hutson was outside the Tennessee Night Club with friends when she was fatally stabbed. The woman worked at a Brazilian restaurant a short distance away and was said to be a regular visitor to that club.