The High Court has dismissed all charges against 27-year-old Jahciba Shoy in connection with the 2023 robbery and fatal shooting of Roudi Shmaly at Pick 'N Mix Mart on DeSouza Road, ruling that the prosecution had failed to produce sufficient evidence linking Shoy to the crime.
According to Antigua News Room, Shoy had faced charges of murder, aggravated robbery, and manslaughter. The case collapsed after defence attorney Wendel Alexander successfully argued that the evidence presented by the Crown amounted to no more than suspicion rather than proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
The prosecution's case rested primarily on CCTV footage showing Shoy in the company of the teenage gunman prior to the robbery. Authorities also contended that a shoulder bag carried by Shoy resembled one later seen with the shooter. The court, however, found those connections insufficient to sustain the charges.
"The evidence went no further than speculation and suspicion," Alexander told ABS News.
The teenage gunman at the centre of the shooting was previously convicted in connection with the crime and served the maximum three-year sentence permitted under the juvenile sentencing laws in force at the time of the offence.
