A high-profile case with international ramifications unfolded in the Bahamas Supreme Court on Friday, as a senior police officer pleaded not guilty to the murder of an American utility worker — a shooting that prompted U.S. diplomatic intervention and forced a national review of off-duty officer firearm rules.
Fifty-four-year-old Superintendent Berneil Pinder entered his plea in connection with the March 21 killing of 31-year-old Cody Castillo, a Pike Corporation employee who was shot through the side window of his work truck outside Da Plantation Bar & Grill on West Bay Street, New Providence.
Within days of the incident, the case captured global attention. The U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas quickly issued a public call for prompt justice, and U.S. Ambassador Herschel Walker formally offered FBI investigative support to the Royal Bahamas Police Force. Bahamian Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis responded by ordering a full, transparent investigation and launching a review of existing policies governing off-duty officers carrying personal firearms.
Initial police accounts of the shooting claimed that a physical altercation that started inside the bar spilled out into the parking lot, after which a man got into his vehicle and deliberately drove toward Pinder in a threatening manner. Pinder, who was off-duty at the time of the killing just before 6 p.m., reportedly fired his weapon out of fear for his personal safety. However, local newspaper The Tribune later uncovered key details contradicting that narrative, confirming Castillo was never involved in the initial bar fight. He had only driven to the venue to pick up his younger brother, cousin, and another co-worker, all of whom were also employed by Pike.
Castillo was struck in the chest by the bullet fired through the truck’s window. First responders found him lying face-down outside the vehicle in a pool of blood, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators obtained key evidence from multiple sources, including dash camera footage from Castillo’s work truck and closed-circuit camera footage from nearby businesses, which National Security Minister Wayne Munroe confirmed early in the probe. In a break from standard protocol for police-involved fatalities, which are typically sent directly to the Coroner’s Court, Munroe confirmed investigators treated Castillo’s death as a criminal homicide investigation from the start. Pinder was formally charged with murder just four days after the shooting.
Castillo was a native of Huntsville, Texas, who had been working in the Bahamas on a major project to upgrade New Providence’s electricity grid. At the time of his death, his wife was four months pregnant with the couple’s first child.
The fatal shooting also had tangible economic and project impacts, disrupting the $130 million grid upgrade initiative. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, roughly 40 Pike Corporation employees left New Providence out of safety concerns. Anthony Ferguson, chairman of the Bahamas Grid Company, later confirmed the shooting left many remaining workers deeply fearful, and contributed to a roughly two-month delay to the overall project timeline.
During Friday’s court hearing before Justice Guillimina Archer-Minns, Pinder appeared calm as he entered his not guilty plea. Cassie Bethel is serving as Pinder’s defense counsel, while Eucal Bonaby and Betty Wilson are leading the prosecution. Pinder is scheduled to return to court on October 7 for a formal trial date setting hearing.