A murder case against two men collapsed on Friday when a judge excluded their alleged confession statements after finding they were obtained under duress.
Prosecutors alleged that Benjamin Gray and Dwayne Evans played a part in the December 2004 death of Oszell Moncur, whose corpse was found stuffed in the trunk of a car on Christmas Eve.
Police discovered Moncur’s body in the trunk of a Chevrolet Cavalier at Augusta Street, two days after he was reported missing. Moncur’s hands and feet were bound with duct tape and his mouth was gagged.
Jillian Williams, the prosecutor, offered no further evidence against the defendants after the ruling by Justice Roy Jones.
Police were unable to explain how the defendants received injuries while in custody. Jones directed the jury to return an acquittal against both defendants, who were on bail.
Prosecutors dropped the case against a third defendant, Jamalio Laing, when the case began on Monday. Laing remains in custody on an unrelated charge.
Dorsey McPhee appeared for Gray and Raymond Rolle appeared for Evans.
Artesia Davis
The Nassau Guardian
