Despite being granted bail in June after being in custody for little over two years, a man, who is charged for killing his brother in 2015, was still unable to take up his bail offer.
However, a parish judge granted a lawyer’s request to have the man’s bail offer reduced.
Charged for the offence of murder is Fritz Dennis, a farmer of Lucky Hill in St. Mary. He appeared in the St Mary Parish Court on Thursday, October 5.
He was charged on Wednesday, July 15, 2015 by the St. Mary police for the murder of his brother, Miguel Roberts, alias ‘Joe’, a UTECH student of Lucky Hill, St. Mary. Roberts’ partially burned body was found in bushes on a farm in Bamboo Walk, Retreat in St. Mary. It is alleged that both brothers had a dispute over a family farm, located in Retreat.
In court last Thursday, an attorney holding for Kemar Robinson, who is Dennis’ lawyer in the matter, told parish judge Tricia Hutchinson, that despite being granted bail, Dennis was still having difficulties in taking up his bail offer.
Dennis was initially granted bail in the sum of $300,000 with one to two sureties by senior parish judge Yvette Wentworth-Miller on Thursday, June 15. The prosecution was not objecting to bail and on a previous occasion, the prosecutor had indicated that Dennis was held in custody due to safety concerns because of threats that were being made in the community, where the murder had taken place.
Judge Hutchinson reduced Dennis’ bail to $250,000 with one to five sureties.
The other conditions of his bail that were initially in place remain the same. Dennis was to relocate and reside in Mount George in Yallahs, St Thomas. He was also to report to the Yallahs Police Station on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
In the meantime, the statements in the case are still in the certification stage in accordance to the Committal Proceedings Act (CPA). The crown is reportedly having challenges with two witnesses in the case.
The matter will once again be mentioned on December 14.
The North Coast Times reported that the last time Miguel Roberts, was seen was on Thursday, June 30, 2015 at around 2 p.m. when he got off a taxi and went up to the farm that was alleged to be at the centre of the dispute between both brothers.
The partially burnt body of Roberts was found Friday morning, July 3, 2015 by the accused man and a friend. On the scene where the body was found, it was reported that Roberts was clad in his underpants. Half of it was burnt and areas on his skin also seemed burnt
Residents from the area had alleged that the motive for the killing of Roberts was a family dispute about the running of the farm and the elder brother, Fritz Dennis, had been told to stay away from the property.
