Murder convict wins appeal and walks out of Court a free man

THE OECS Court of Appeal has squashed a guilty conviction of a man who was convicted of murder in 2011.

The offence, which occurred in 2008, concluded in 2011 with a guilty verdict and 12 years imprisonment for Tisagh Chase. However, on Monday, October 28, when the appeal was scheduled to be heard, there were no arguments in Court as the submissions presented by Chase’s legal team was indefensible by the prosecution.

Tisagh Chase

“The conviction was therefore squashed,” said Director of Public Prosecution, Christopher Nelson.

Ruggles Ferguson, one of the lawyers for Chase, said there were 12 grounds for filing the appeal, but the ones which stand out was the “self defence” and “defence of another”. Ferguson explained that deceased Kevin Hillaire, who is the father of Trisha Haywood’s children, had ended their relationship, but he was not prepared to accept his new circumstance.

On the night of the incident, Hillaire, who was to be married to another woman in two weeks, entered Trisha’s house without invitation and a fight ensued between the two parents. During the commotion, Chase hid himself in the bathroom and called the police, but by the time the police arrived, Hillaire became a victim of his own knife. (LS)