By Latrishka Thomas
The fate of Delano Forbes, dubbed ‘the vampire killer’, still hangs in the balance as it relates to his trial for unlawfully wounding a prison officer.
The alleged serial killer now has to wait two months to find out whether Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh believes that he is guilty of wounding Dwight Peters, as three witnesses suggest.
Chief Magistrate Walsh was scheduled to issue her decision yesterday in the St John’s Magistrates’ court, but this along with several other matters were adjourned.
The verdict will now be declared on April 15.
The 26-year-old murder accused was on trial since January 25 this year for reportedly striking the complainant in his head with a can on October 7, 2020.
Peters, one of his colleagues and the investigating officer testified that the prisoner’s refusal to be restrained resulted in a “scuffle” within the prison.
They claimed that Forbes grabbed a disinfectant can and hit the complainant, causing him to sustain a wound that required six stitches.
Afterwards, the accused was pepper-sprayed, and this gave the officers the opportunity to shackle him, they said.
However, Forbes maintained his innocence, saying, “I didn’t put my hands on them”.
He chose to give unsworn evidence last week to tell his side of the story.
The inmate said that the officer obtained the injury on his own when he hit his head on a table.
Meanwhile, Forbes, of Swetes Village, also has matters pending in the High Court.
He is accused of killing Shawn Henry, Liesure Williams, Wilfred Williams and Maurison Thomas.
Due to the persistence of the Covid-19 pandemic, all of the courts in Antigua and Barbuda have halted trial proceedings. The magistrates’ courts in particular are only hearing new matters, at least for the next two weeks.
And the country’s High Court of Justice will not be able to host trials for the foreseeable future.