After several hours of deliberations, a 12-member jury on Friday returned a unanimous not guilty verdict in the trial of Bevon Griffith, called “Spooney”, who was accused of murdering 36-year-old vendor Trion Parks during the course of a robbery in 2023. Following Justice Sandil Kissoon’s lengthy summing up, the jury retired to consider its verdict before returning with a unanimous verdict of not guilty.

Griffith was represented throughout the trial by Attorney Tonza Sarrabo, while the prosecution’s case was led by Attorneys Christopher Belfield, Rbina Christmas and Rodley Mathoo. The state had alleged that on November 18, 2023, Griffith murdered Parks while carrying out a robbery at the man’s home in Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD). Griffith had denied the allegation when he was arraigned before the High Court in Demerara, pleading not guilty to the charge of murder in furtherance of a robbery.

According to the prosecution, Parks died after he was shot several times during the robbery, in which his gold chains were stolen. Following the jury’s verdict, Griffith was formally acquitted of the charge, bringing the High Court proceedings to an end.