Bahamas: Accused smugglers charged with manslaughter
Four men could face life imprisonment if convicted of manslaughter in the deaths of 17 Haitian migrants who perished after the 33-foot speedboat Bare Ambition capsized five nautical miles off New Providence on July 24.
Donald Watson, 39, the alleged captain, and Eulan McKinney, 49, were rescued along with the other survivors of the smuggling tragedy, according to authorities.
Further investigations led to the arrests of McKenzie Jerome, 53, who also goes by Jerome McKenzie, the alleged owner of the capsized boat, and Wilbens Joseph, 37, who is in The Bahamas on a work permit, and one of the suspected organisers of the smuggling trip.
On Friday, the men faced 18 counts of manslaughter in connection with the deaths when they appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt.
Police said the 18th victim was the unborn son of a pregnant woman who died in the incident.
However, Alex Dorsett, Joseph’s lawyer, told the magistrate the manslaughter charge in respect of the fetus was “an impossibility in law”.
That’s because the Penal Code states that a child must be born alive to be the victim of manslaughter or murder.
Nonetheless, Ferguson-Pratt said those arguments should be presented before the Supreme Court, where the case will be tried.
Watson and McKinney are further accused of operating Bare Ambition recklessly without regard to the passengers on board, as well as operating a vessel without a license.
Jerome, who did not have a lawyer, told the magistrate that he had no involvement in the matter and that police alleged that he owned the boat.
Additionally, he claimed that police failed to account for all the money they seized from his home.
Jerome said he had $90,000, representing the proceeds from the sale of a boat and trailer; however, police said they seized $45,000.
The accused were all remanded to the Bahamas Department of Corrections, and they are expected to return to court on October 28.
The men can seek bail from the Supreme Court in the interim.
Ian Cargill represented Watson, and Samantha Miah was the prosecutor.
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