Former UNC activist found not guilty of murder

The Hall of Justice. - File photo

A jury on December 12 found former prominent United National Congress (UNC) activist Marvin Lezama not guilty of a 2012 murder.

Lezama was before Justice Mauricia Joseph-Patrick and a Port of Spain jury.

Lezama had been charged with the July 22, 2012, killing of Stephan Haynes in the Bon Air Gardens, Arouca. The state alleged that Lezama and an unidentified accomplice, described as “the tall man,” shot Haynes multiple times in what was described as an execution-style killing.

The State’s case relied primarily on three eyewitnesses. One witness claimed to have seen Lezama earlier that day with Haynes and the alleged accomplice and said the interaction appeared aggressive. That witness later testified under cross-examination that police pressured him to give a statement while he was hospitalised for gunshot wounds and that he neither read nor signed the statement attributed to him. He said he did not know Lezama and did not see him in the area on the day of the killing, and he did not identify Lezama in court.

A second witness, Haynes’ former girlfriend, told the court she heard gunshots while showering and later saw Lezama and the tall man running from the scene. Under cross-examination, she admitted becoming friendly with the investigating officer after the incident, including sharing wine, but denied any romantic relationship. She identified Lezama in court.

The third witness, who was eight years old at the time, gave unsworn statements to police in 2012. He later testified that he did not see the shooting and that he was told by his grandmother what to say, including identifying Lezama. He did not identify Lezama during the trial.

Lezama’s attorneys argued the case was fabricated through collusion between police and witnesses. They pointed to inconsistencies in witness descriptions of the suspect’s height, clothing, hairstyle and headwear, and said the state failed to establish key factors in a recognition case, including lighting, distance, duration and frequency of prior encounters.

Lezama did not testify. The defence relied on police interview notes from September 2012 in which he denied the killing and said he had moved away from the Arouca area weeks earlier after being robbed. The jury was directed to consider Lezama a man of good character as he had no prior convictions apart from traffic offences.

Lezama has said he believes the case was motivated by retaliation stemming from a successful lawsuit he brought against the state for wrongful arrest and malicious prosecution related to his political activity in the early 2000s, for which he was awarded damages totaling $225,000.

He was represented by attorneys Suneesh Singh, Mikkell Samaroo, Jaiden Beharry and Karena Jawahir.

Separate offences for alleged firearm and ammuntion possession, which were severed from the murder count and remain pending, will return to court on December 19. Lezama was granted $20,000 on those charges.