In a significant courtroom development in Belize City, murder suspect Elmer Nah has been ordered to stand trial after his legal team’s no-case submission was decisively rejected by Justice Nigel Pilgrim. The judicial ruling came with remarkable speed—taking a mere twenty seconds for the court to dismiss the defense’s application—compelling Nah to face three separate murder charges.
Following the procedural setback, Nah addressed the court for twenty-seven minutes from the dock, vehemently maintaining his innocence. ‘It wasn’t me,’ he stated, acknowledging the phrase as an ‘old cliché’ while insisting authorities had apprehended the wrong individual. The defendant claimed enhanced video evidence would ultimately identify the true perpetrator and urged investigators to stop ‘feeding the family with lies.’ He concluded his emotional statement with the declaration: ‘I am here to speak the truth… so help me God.’
Notably absent from the defense strategy were alibi witnesses, despite previous reliance on testimony from Nah’s cousin during earlier voir dire proceedings. The prosecution’s evidence package includes critical components: the statement of primary witness Vivian Ramnarace, boots allegedly discovered in Nah’s pickup truck, and a headlamp purportedly worn during the commission of the murders.
Dr. Lynden Jones, Nah’s legal representative, provided commentary following the day’s proceedings, noting that the court would issue written details justifying the rejection of their no-case submission at a later date. Jones explained his client’s decision to deliver a dock statement rather than remain silent or testify, referencing previously incorporated evidence from the voir dire. Nah’s statement specifically addressed evidentiary concerns regarding boot coloration, the disappearance of the original video footage chip containing shooting evidence, and the timing of a tattoo that prosecution suggested was recently applied.
The case now advances to closing submissions as both sides prepare their final arguments in this high-profile murder trial.