By Samantha Simon
The High Court heard final arguments yesterday in the country’s historic first judge-only murder trial.
Jeffrey Daniel stands accused of killing Robinson Roberts, also known as David, the stepfather of his ex-girlfriend, in May 2021.
The defence contended that the 29-year-old defendant inflicted fatal injuries on the 63-year-old during a confrontation at Roberts’ Newfield home in an act of self-defence, asserting that Roberts attacked him with a cutlass upon his arrival at the property.
But defence attorney Wendel Alexander underscored the point that Roberts did not succumb to his injuries until hours after the altercation, as presented in the autopsy report, and further argued that had the police promptly located Roberts after being summoned to the scene, he might have been saved.
Despite being called to the scene on the night of the incident, Roberts’ body was not discovered until the next morning, a short walk from his property.
Conversely, the prosecution contends that Daniel continued to assault Roberts even after disarming him. They assert that his actions were retaliatory rather than in self-defence. Additionally, prosecutors pointed to inconsistencies in Daniel’s testimony, particularly regarding his alcohol consumption that night, raising questions about his credibility.
The case has been adjourned until Friday morning, leaving the outcome of this landmark trial hanging in the balance, as the judge considers the evidence and arguments presented.
Judge-only trials were introduced under the Criminal Proceedings (Trial by Judge Alone) Act during the pandemic due to the backlog of cases caused by the unavailability of jurors, but this is the first murder trial to use this method under the new act.
Justice Tunde Bakre, a recently appointed High Court judge known for his distinguished career as a legal practitioner in Nigeria, is presiding over the proceedings.
