The jury deliberating in the murder trial of Saleim Harrigan, Wayne Thomas, and Lasean Bulley has indicated it requires additional time to reach a verdict, according to Antigua.news.
After 6pm on Wednesday — approximately four hours after Justice Rajiv Persaud concluded his summation — jurors were called back before the judge and made clear they were not yet prepared to decide the fate of the three accused men. Deliberations are set to continue into the evening.
The three men stand accused of the murder of senior Customs officer Nigel Christian, in what has become one of the most high-profile criminal cases in Antigua and Barbuda in recent years.
The trial began on February 19th and has spanned more than two months. Justice Persaud spent more than four hours on Wednesday morning alone summarising the evidence before sending the jury out to deliberate.
The case stems from the events of July 10th, 2020, when Christian was abducted at gunpoint from his home in McKinnons, taken away, and shot dead on a dirt road in Thibou's later that same day.
The killing sent shockwaves across the country, particularly within the Customs Department, where Christian was regarded as a well-known and respected figure.
