A Laventille man jointly charged for the 2007 murders of WPC Elizabeth Sutherland, her husband, daughter and a family friend was released from custody on October 6 after a High Court judge ruled that the confessions forming the backbone of the State’s case were inadmissible.

Zwadie Gomez, who was jointly charged with Daniel Mendoza for the 2007 murders of Sutherland, Ivan Sutherland, Anika Sutherland, and Kevin Serrette, at John Street, Pelican Extension, Morvant, on January 22, 2007, was before Justice Maria Busby Earle-Caddle.

After the original jury trial was aborted in 2011, the matter resumed as a judge-alone trial in September 2025 before Justice Maria Busby Earle-Caddle. Proceedings began with a voir dire to determine the admissibility of Gomez’s alleged confession statements.