THE Rondell Bacchus trial ended on Wednesday before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry in a hung jury after the foreman announced that they were unable to return a verdict after more than two and a half hours of deliberations in the High Court.As such, Bacchus was remanded to prison awaiting another re-trial.

The case lasted more than a week and saw several witnesses testifying, including several policemen and the wife of the deceased via Skype.

The state was represented by Tuanna Hardy, in association with Narissa Leander, while the Defence Counsel was Nigel Hughes.

Bacchus of ‘C’ Field, Sophia Squatting Area was indicted for the murder of scrap metal dealer Akbar Alli, whom he allegedly gunned downed during a robbery at Brickdam, Georgetown, on July 24, 2008.

On the same occasion, Bacchus is alleged to have used a handgun to rob the man’s wife, Rameena Bibi Hydar Alli of $2.M in cash.

In 2015, during his trial before Justice Navindra Singh, Mrs. Alli, who currently resides in United States of America, testified via audiovisual link, (Skype) that she had positively identified Bacchus at an identification parade in Georgetown sometime after the shooting.

It is alleged that on July 24, on Brickdam, Andrew Morris, 34, of 263 East La Penitence, and Bacchus used a gun to rob Bibi Hydar Alli of $2.1M and also murdered her husband Akbar Alli.

Andrew Morris was also charged in connection with the robbery/murder but the matter against him was dismissed as a result of the lack of evidence in the Magistrate’s Court.

A police press release issued in July had stated that Alli and his wife had gone to a city bank to do business. They later went to Brickdam with the intention of transacting business with an auto dealer.

The release said further that Alli parked his motor vehicle and as he and his wife stepped out and she was holding the bag containing the cash, they were robbed at gunpoint by two men on a motorcycle. Reports were that Alli began running behind the motorcycle and the armed man, who was the pillion rider, then shot him in the chest. Alli died of the gunshot wound.