NASSAU- An appellate court has upheld the acquittal of a man accused of a home-invasion murder.
Kevin Andrews was tried along with Tiano D’Haiti for the October 28, 2014 murder of Robert Cartwright during an attempted armed robbery and burglary in Blair Estates.
Before he died, Robert fired his shotgun in the direction of the intruders who had kicked down the door to the home he shared with his parents.
A short time later, D’Haiti showed up at the hospital seeking treatment for gunshot wounds.
The prosecution alleged that Andrews was one of the intruders at Cartwright’s home. They further alleged that Andrews arranged for his girlfriend’s roommate to take D’Haiti to hospital.
At the close of the prosecution’s case, the trial judge ruled that the prosecution had failed to make out a case against Andrews on any of the charges.
Instead, the judge ruled that Andrews had a case to answer on the lesser charge of accessory after the fact.
However, the judge directed the jury to acquit Andrews of all charges after hearing further submissions.
The Crown appealed the decision in hopes that the higher court would order that Andrews faced a second trial.
But the Court of Appeal supported the judge’s decision, saying “the evidence adduced in the trial fell far short of the requisite standard of proof.”
Murrio Ducille represented Andrews.
D’Haiti was convicted of Cartwright’s murder and sentenced to 49 years in prison. He has appealed his conviction.
