In a dramatic courtroom reversal, twenty-year-old Dorian Denver Anthony has been declared not guilty in the 2023 shooting death of Trenton Webster, marking his second successful defense against murder charges. The case collapsed when the prosecution’s sole eyewitness, Webster’s wife, completely retracted her initial statement identifying Anthony as the perpetrator.
The trial before Justice Nigel Pilgrim took an unexpected turn when the key witness disavowed her previous testimony, stating under oath that she had never actually seen the shooter. This forced the prosecution to treat her as a hostile witness, significantly weakening their case. Justice Pilgrim subsequently ruled her earlier inconsistent statement inadmissible as evidence.
With no forensic evidence, eyewitness testimony, or circumstantial links connecting Anthony to the crime, the prosecution conceded defeat. Defense attorney Dr. Lynden Jones successfully argued for a no-case submission, which the judge approved after just four days of trial proceedings.
Justice Pilgrim expressed grave concerns about witness intimidation, noting the witness appeared “terrified” during testimony. He highlighted the critical failure of Belize’s justice system, pointing out that the Justice Protection Act of 2006 remains non-operational nearly two decades after its passage. The judge emphasized the urgent need for a functional witness-protection program to prevent similar judicial failures.
While Anthony walks free from this charge, he remains in custody awaiting trial for a separate murder case in Belmopan. His legal history includes a previous acquittal at age seventeen for the killing of sixty-one-year-old Emert Flowers, demonstrating a pattern of murder charges that ultimately fail to result in conviction.