Two police officers are expected to go on trial for the murder of a 20 year-old man in 2018 after they lost an appeal to have the charge dropped.
Inspector Akeem Wilson and Detective Corporal Donald Wright appeared before Justice Dale Fitzpatrick accused of manslaughter in the death of 20-year-old Deangelo Evans in Mason’s Addition in 2018.
Their trial is scheduled to begin on June 1, 2026, with a pretrial hearing set for May 1, 2026.
Evans was shot and killed on May 27 2018, after officers responded to reports of an armed robbery. Police said he was armed, but eyewitnesses claimed he was not. But in 2023, a Coroner’s Court found that Evans’ death was a homicide by manslaughter.
The police officers had argued that Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Cordell Frazier committed an abuse of process by filing a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI) after indicating in a letter to the commissioner of police in April 2024 that the prosecution would not move forward. They also claimed that Coroner Kara Turnerquest-Deveaux acted outside her authority when they were summoned before her in September 2024 for the VBI.
But Justice Fitzpatrick found no merit in their arguments, ruling that although the coroner could not compel the men to attend court, they could appear voluntarily, as Wilson did in January.
He said the issuing of a summons was an administrative matter and found no abuse of power in how it was carried out. Justice Fitzpatrick also noted that the DPP had reversed her decision after reviewing the full coroner’s inquest file, which had not been available when the initial decision to discontinue the case was made.
The judge said that the defendants failed to prove that they had relied on the DPP’s earlier representation to their detriment or that proceeding with the case would offend the community’s sense of justice. He said that there was no abuse of process by the DPP.