A lawyer representing the man accused of causing the death of 24-year-old Jonty Robinson has confirmed that his client has been released on bail.
Attorney Allie Gill, did not share details regarding the bail conditions for Javid Raymond, a 28-year-old unemployed man, noting however that his client had been placed on bail on December 20 after spending approximately three months at the Richmond Hill Prison.
Police had charged Raymond with intentionally and unlawfully causing the death of Josiah Jonty Robinson on June 17, 2023.
Jonty’s body was found on a beach in the south of the island. Some of his close associates believe that he was killed because of his lifestyle but in a statement issued in July, the police said that they had no reason to link his death to his sexual orientation.
“We wish to inform the public that based on investigations, we are in no position to link the death of Mr Robinson to his sexual orientation since we have gathered no evidence to that effect,” said the statement.
Raymond’s release on bail had caused a stir in Grenada, but criminal attorney, Jerry Edwin, said that since Grenada amended the Criminal Code in 2012 to provide for non-capital and capital murder charges, several people charged with non-capital murder have been placed on bail because of the circumstances under which the offense occurred.
“First of all, it must be made clear that bail for non-capital murder is not one determined by the magistrate in a magistrate court, but such a determination is made by a High Court judge,” said Edwin.
“It all depends on the circumstances under which the death occurred,” said Edwin, adding that he has clients who were granted bail after being accused of murder.
He said over the past three years, he has had three such clients.
He explained that two of the considerations for granting bail to a murder accused are self-defense and no criminal conviction.
“If the accused has no history of interacting with police for whatever reason previously, and suddenly that person is charged with the offense of non-capital murder, then his or her lawyer can file a motion to the High Court seeking to have the person on bail,” he said, reiterating “an accused murderer getting bail is really at the discretion of the Judge”.
