Kegal Blackman who was charged with attempting to murder his co-worker during a fight 12 years ago was on Wednesday found not guilty by a San Fernando jury.
After deliberating for about two hours, the jury returned verdicts in his favour on a charge of attempting to murder his co-worker Steven Mitchell and also on the lesser charge of wounding with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.
The incident took place on March 18, 2005.
State attorney Sabrina Dougdeen-Jaglal opened the State’s case before Justice David Harris in the Second Assizes on July 6, by saying the incident was a case of “three man rat can’t live in one hole.”
She said her expression described the described the living situation between Blackman, Mitchell and another man, Elvis Garcia, who lived together in a house close to their job site in Point Fortin, provided by their company.
The State’s case is that the three men had a disagreement and on that day Garcia struck Mitchell to the face with a crow bar (pig-foot). The two men then began fighting, eventually ending up in the backyard.
Mitchell was stabbed twice in the back and once in his chest before collapsing to the ground. Dougdeen-Jaglal said Blackman was seen with an item, either an ice-pick or a screw driver.
The defence case, however, was that Blackman was attacked and he acted in self defence. Blackman, who was represented by attorney Cedric Neptune, opted not to give evidence, but called one witness.
