Seven gun suspects and one convicted gunman appear in court
Several alleged gunmen appeared in Supreme Court yesterday in a crowded arraignments session.Jahmel Blakeney, 29, Kinte Smith, 25, and Sanchey Grant, 19, appeared in connection with the 2009 shooting of Shaki Minors and Renee Kuchler.All three were ordered to return to court next week for mention.Antonio Myers, 25, who was convicted in March of the 2009 murder of Kumi Harford, also appeared during the session.Mr Harford, 30, was killed in a hail of bullets on December 5, 2009, while he sat in his car on St Monica’s Road.Myers is scheduled to be sentenced for the murder on June 22.Marico Bassett, 20, appeared in connection with the attempted murder of Randy Lightbourne.Mr Lightbourne was shot seven times and spent months in hospital following the daylight shooting last July.Mr Bassett, who has maintained his innocence, is scheduled to return to Supreme Court on June 24 for mention.Noet Barnett, who is charged with the attempted murder of Jeremiah Dill, also appeared during the session. The 25-year-old has pleaded not guilty to the offence, which took place on Parsons Road last October.His trial, which had been scheduled for July 11, was set back one day to July 12.Jakai Harford and Leo Burgess also appeared during the session in connection with firearms charges.Mr Harford, 28, has been charged with possessing a gun and thousands of dollars worth of drugs in his St Monica’s Road home on January 26. Mr Burgess has been charged with aggravated burglary while armed with a firearm on December 6, 2010.Both deny the charges.Meanwhile, a 36-year-old pleaded not guilty to charges that he sexually exploited a young person on March 29.The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also denied charges of assault and serious assault, possessing a claw hammer and drug equipment in an increased penalty zone and deprivation of liberty.The man was remanded in custody until his trial on September 26.In a separate incident, a 20-year-old appeared in connection with a charge of unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under the age of 14.He is scheduled to appear at the next arraignments session on July 1 for the matter to be mentioned.Kyril Burrows, Delcina Bean-Burrows, Greatfield Carmichael and Calvin Waldron were also ordered to appear at the July 1 session.Together, the four face 37 charges of dishonesty, cheating and money laundering. None of the defendants has yet entered a plea.Omari Franklin, Allana Tait and Dennisha Simmons pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering.Mr Franklin, 33, has been charged with using $63,165 he knew to be the proceeds of criminal conduct and conspiring to import drugs. Ms Tait, 35, and Ms Simmons, 31, are charged with removing $260,294 from Bermuda to help Mr Franklin avoid prosecution.They have pleaded not guilty to all of the offences.Mr Franklin and Ms Tait also denied charges of possessing cannabis and drug equipment, and having $127,731 that they knew represented the proceeds of crime.Their matter is expected to be mentioned again during the August arraignments session.Meanwhile, on July 1 Michelle Latoya Gibbons, 28, will appear in connection with a charge of conspiracy to import $1.1 million of cannabis. Shannon Berkeley, 42, will be sentenced in Supreme Court on July 8 for importing cannabis to the Island.Both Gibbons and Berkeley pleaded guilty to the charges in Supreme Court.