St Kitts-Nevis: Jury finds Omax Bye not guilty of Gregory Mills murder

The man arrested and tried for the murder of pizza business owner, Gregory Mills, was acquitted by a jury last Friday.

Omax Bye walked out of the Sir Lee Llewellyn Moore Judicial and Legal Services Complex a free man after 10 jurors of the 12-member panel returned a verdict of not guilty.

"Bye walked out to the embrace of a number of his friends who were waiting in the Independence Square area," KYSS FM reported.

Gregory Mills, a young Pizza shop owner, was gunned down on May 9, 2017, in the Gillards Meadow area.

WINNFM reported that only a few witnesses were called to the stand including the victim's mother, an Assistant Commissioner of Police and the State's key witness.

"The man said he witnessed an individual dressed in women's clothing and sunglasses pump several bullets into Mills while the businessman was still inside his car. The witness, who was in his yard near the scene of the crime, said the shooter took off the sunglasses and he recognized Omax Bye, someone he'd known for many years.

Bye's Attorney, Marsha Henderson picked apart the eye witness' testimony, highlighting the fact that he came forward with the information only when he was in police custody for a child maintenance matter, and the authorities had arranged for him to get an advance payment from the government for a signage job he had not yet done to pay off that debt."

Justice Trevor Warde QC summed up the case for jurors Friday morning and within a few hours, the jury returned a 10-2 verdict of not guilty.

Crown Counsels Teshaun Vasquez and Vaughn Henderson prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.