1 month ago
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John Mills and his common-law wife Eulyn John. - TWO men facing double-murder charges were discharged by the High Court after prosecutors failed to present any evidence during a scheduled sufficiency hearing, effectively leading to a collapse of the State’s case.
Nicholas Davis and Antonio McEachnie appeared before Master Magaret Sookraj-Goswami on December 8, charged with two counts of murder stemming from a 2019 incident. The men were charged with the 2019 murder of Tobago couple John Mills, 69, and Eulyn John, 61, both of Buccoo, Tobago. Their bodies were discovered at their home on May 2, 2019. The men were arrested in 2022.
The State had previously obtained multiple extensions to file its evidential material and eventually submitted more than 50 witness statements. Prosecutors also sought permission to call a witness for oral testimony after the witness refused to swear to her written statement.
At the December 8 hearing, defence attorneys objected to documents served after court-ordered deadlines, arguing that the late filing, “mere days before the sufficiency hearing”, left them without time to review the material properly. They opposed any further extensions, noting the State had already benefited from several since the matter first came before the court.
Sookraj-Goswami ruled the hearing would proceed and that all documents filed within the final deadline would be admitted, with the defence permitted time for objections or submissions. Two statements filed out of time were excluded. However, when the charges were read, and the State was invited to tender its evidence, prosecutors declined to present any of the statements submitted in the case. With no evidence before the court to support the allegations, the Master discharged both Davis and McEachnie.
McEachnie was represented by attorneys Alexia Romero and Andiesa Weste. Davis was represented by Israel Khan, SC, and Arissa Maharaj. The State was represented by Kernester Mohammed and Mark Peters.
English (US) ·