The grief-stricken sister of a 56-year-old Newfield man murdered in 2021 has told Observer of her relief that his killer has been found guilty of the crime.
Virginia Benjamin sat through the entirety of the country’s landmark first judge-only murder trial presided over by Justice Tunde Bakre.
Yesterday, Jeffrey Daniel, 29, was convicted of murdering Robinson Roberts, known to his loved ones as David.
Benjamin said she was “happy” with the verdict and remained optimistic that justice would be delivered at Daniel’s January 16 sentencing.
She described her brother as “quiet” and one who kept himself to himself.
“He doesn’t interfere with nobody,” Benjamin said, adding, “The Lord intervened and he really answered my prayer; I am thankful for that.”
Benjamin revealed that she had feared defence attorneys’ earlier efforts to get the case thrown out would be successful.
Wendel Alexander and Wayne Marsh had hoped to convince the judge that a crucial element of the case – Daniel’s intention to kill Roberts – had not been proven. The judge rejected the no-case submission, siding with prosecutors who said all evidence pointed conclusively to the defendant’s responsibility for the death, paving the way for the trial to continue.
The confrontation between the two men took place in May 2021 when Daniel visited Roberts’ property in search of his ex-girlfriend, Roberts’ stepdaughter. Daniel had apparently previously been warned to stay away from the house.
On that fateful day, he encountered Roberts who was armed with a cutlass. A struggle ensued, and Roberts’ lifeless body was discovered the next morning a short distance down the road.
A pathologist said he had succumbed to severe blood loss from a chest laceration. Roberts also had two broken ribs.
Yesterday, Justice Bakre ruled that although the case was circumstantial, the prosecution had proven beyond all reasonable doubt that Roberts’ death was indeed caused by Daniel. He also ruled out the possibility it had been an accident, given the severity of the injuries.
The judge rejected the defendant’s claims that he had been acting in self-defence, pointing out that even after he had wrestled the cutlass away from Roberts, Daniel continued to attack him. Justice Bakre pointed out that the defendant’s own injuries had been minor.
He held that Roberts had been protecting his family and property by wielding the weapon, and that Daniel had lost control, reacting with excessive force.
Appearing for the Crown was Jamaican prosecutor Paulio Williams. It was Williams’ first trial since moving to Antigua some weeks ago.