High Court explains why Juan Carlos Novelo was acquitted of Leslie Verde’s murder

High Court Justice Candace Nanton has released her written reasons for acquitting Juan Carlos Novelo of the 2023 murder of his common-law wife, Leslie Margarita Verde. The 29-page judgment explains that while the evidence proved Verde was unlawfully killed, the Crown failed to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Novelo was responsible. Novelo was found not guilty on July 20 following a judge-alone trial. The verdict sparked protests in Caye Caulker and drew criticism from members of Verde’s family and the wider community, as the court did not provide its full reasons at the time.  Verde was found dead inside her Caye Caulker home on November 4, 2023. A post-mortem examination determined that she died from asphyxia caused by neck compression. Forensic pathologist Dr. Roque Blanco testified that the injuries were intentionally inflicted and were neither accidental nor self-inflicted.  The Crown’s case was based largely on circumstantial evidence and the testimony of Verde’s minor daughter. The child testified that she saw Novelo touching her mother as she lay on a bed and later moving her body behind a bedroom door.  However, Justice Nanton found that the child’s evidence contained material inconsistencies, significant changes from earlier accounts and details that were not supported by the objective evidence. The judge noted that the weaknesses went to the heart of the prosecution’s case and made substantial portions of the testimony unreliable.  Once those portions were excluded, the court was left with surveillance evidence showing Verde returning home at approximately 4:29 a.m., Novelo leaving around 5:28 a.m., returning at about 8:16 a.m. and later leaving with beers. Verde’s body was discovered close to midday.  Justice Nanton noted that the medical evidence could not establish the exact time of death. She concluded that the remaining circumstances did not prove Novelo was the person who caused Verde’s death or that he was necessarily the only other person present during the relevant period.  Novelo denied killing Verde and maintained that she was alive when he left the residence. The judge stressed, however, that the acquittal was not based on accepting Novelo’s account. Instead, it resulted from the Crown’s failure to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.  Justice Nanton concluded that the circumstantial evidence, taken as a whole, was not strong enough to sustain a conviction.