Murder and other related charges were dropped Tuesday against one of three defendants standing trial in connection with the 1997 murder of Dr. Janet Morgan.
The Virgin Islands Daily News reported Wednesday that Chief District Court Judge Raymond Finch cleared Remy Augustin, 22, of the charges relating to the murder, including armed robbery, burglary, first-degree assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. But Augustin is still facing 13 other charges in connection with a string of robberies which preceded the Feb. 24, 1997 killing.
Bruce Marshack acknowledged Tuesday that the evidence against Augustin was scant, the Daily News reported.
In other court action relating to the Morgan murder, psychologist Robert Shomer testified for the defense that factors such as time and race can blur eyewitness identification.
Shomer said that the length of time after an event has occurred is extremely harmful to one's memory of another's face. If a person is of a different race, too, identification becomes even less reliable, he said. Shomer said that victims are also more likely to focus on the weapon rather than the assailant.
Marshack also questioned Sen. Gregory Bennerson for a second day. Bennerson was the forensics officer on the scene of the murder. According to the Daily News, he testified he found a cell phone, clothing and a stocking mask with a mile of the Estate Belvedere home where the murder occurred.
The trial resumes Wednesday with the last of the witnesses to be called by the defense.