BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - AFTER more than one week on trial, Kelroy 'C-Face' Hazel and Jahari 'Baddie' Bart were this morning (July 16) sent back to Her Majesty's Prison to await another trial date as the case was declared a mistrial.
The brothers were jointly charged with the killing of Laustin Jamie 'Big Ship' Williams on the night of April 4, 2011 at Buckley's Estate.
The trial had paused last Thursday (July 12) and was scheduled to continue this morning when His Lordship Justice Errol Thomas declared the mistrial.
SKNVibes was reliably informed that this mistrial was declared due to the revelation that one of the jurors sitting the case was a relative of the accused brothers.
It is unknown whether or not the juror knew beforehand that they were related to the accused.
SKNVibes also learnt that the discovery was made through a phone call.
The matter was therefore traversed to the September 2012 Criminal Assizes.
The trial had begun on July 5 with Director of Public Prosecution Paulina Hendrickson leading the prosecution team while Hazel was being represented by Senior Counsel John Cato and Bart by Attorney-at-Law Chesley Hamilton.
The prosecution team was in the midst of trying to prove that on the night of April 6, 2011 while Williams was at Buckley's Estate with three friends gambling, Bart and Hazel shot Williams from behind and killed him.
At the time of the mistrial declaration, the prosecution had already called nine of the ten witnesses to give evidence on their behalf.
