MURDER-ACCUSED WALKS FREE IN MAJOR BLOW TO PROSECUTION

The man accused of the 2022 killing of personal trainer Christopher Smithers, has walked free.

High Court Judge Justice Ann-Marie Smith has ruled there’s no case to answer in the murder trial of Berle Wallace Jr, who was charged with stabbing Smithers to death outside Pita Pocket restaurant March 1, 2022.

The judge directed the jury to return a ‘not guilty’ verdict after Wallace’s attorney, Wendel Alexander, argued the prosecution failed to prove intent and key pieces of evidence, such as forensic photos and surveillance video, were either lost or didn’t capture the alleged crime.

Investigators had claimed Wallace stabbed Smithers during an altercation near the restaurant at the junction of Popeshead and St John’s Streets.

Crown counsel Rilys Adams led the case against Wallace, but in the end, the judge decided the evidence simply wasn’t strong enough to support a finding of guilt.