Lawyers for convicted murderer Angelo Brooks Rahming and the prosecution are expected to argue on Thursday why he should or should not be allowed to change his guilty plea when they appear before Supreme Court Justice Hartman Longley in Grand Bahama.
Back in May, Rahming, 31, admitted to gunning down a local pastor, Troy Anthony Seymour, in broad daylight on November 13, 2006. Seymour was an associate pastor at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Eight Mile Rock and a delivery employee at a local KFC Restaurant.
The Pinedale, Eight Mile Rock resident was shot and stabbed while making a delivery on Bayshore Road in the Hanna Hill, Eight Mile Rock area.
According to reports, he was run off the road and, after exiting the vehicle, Seymour ran into the house of a relative with a male following close behind. He was allegedly stabbed repeatedly by the male before collapsing to the ground. The father of three was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ironically it was Seymour’s 36th birthday.
Police had issued an all points bulletin (APB) for Rahming, who was a fugitive for 10 months. He made The Bahamas’ 2006 most wanted list. He was arrested in the capital in September of 2007 in the Baillou Hill Road South area, along with another male, flown to Grand Bahama and formally charged with armed robbery and murder.
Rahming pleaded guilty to the murder when he appeared before Justice Hartman Longley for what was to be the start of his trial in May of this year.
Following his plea, the judge set the matter down to September 3 for sentencing but on that day the matter took an unexpected twist, when Rahming informed the court that he wished to change his plea.
According to the once confessed murderer, he was intoxicated when he appeared in court the last time. On that day, Rahming was accompanied by his lawyer Wallace Rolle, who told the media, after the guilty plea, that his client did not want to waste the court’s time.
But his admission of intoxication took prosecutors by surprise and Justice Longley adjourned the matter to Thursday, September 23 to allow legal arguments on the matter.
Cruz Castilo Kemp had also been charged back in November 2006 with conspiracy to commit armed robbery in connection with Seymour’s murder and had pleaded guilty earlier this year.
The Freeport News has learned that a person can change his plea at anytime before sentencing, however, it is at the judge’s discretion.
When Rahming appears before Justice Longley, lawyers for the prosecution will be arguing that the judge should not use his discretion in favour of Rahming changing his plea.
Should Justice Longley allow Rahming’s not guilty plea, the trial will be placed on the court’s calendar as soon as possible.
The Freeport News also understands that that could happen before year’s end.
Lededra Marche
Freeport News
