A nine-member jury, which was put in charge of a case of “death by dangerous driving,” by Geovani Vaughn Benoit Garraway, has been instructed by the trial judge to return a “guilty verdict” on the third day of the trial, after defense lawyer Wayne Norde conceded the case.
Natalia Matthew, who was a student of the Roseau Primary School, was crossing the Bath Estate main road at about 5:45 PM when she was hit by a pick-up truck, FA073, driven at the time by Geovani Vaughn Benoit Garraway of Cochrane on June 6, 2018.
The incident sent shock waves in the community of Bath Estate, and its surroundings, who came together to hold a candlelight vigil in memory of 10-year-old Natalia Matthew.
According to investigators, the pick-up truck was driven by Garraway, who was travelling in a west-to-east direction on the Bath Estate main road when he overtook a moving vehicle traveling in the same direction.
The reports further stated that at that same time, the child was crossing the road ahead in a north-to-south direction in front of a vehicle parked on the left side of the main road.
Matthew sustained bodily injuries from the collision.
She was transported to the Accident and Emergency Department at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), where she succumbed to her injuries.
State Attorney Kevin Julien, who is attached to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), prosecuted the case under the direction of DPP Sherma Darlymple.
Wayne Norde and Gina Abraham Thomas represented Garraway. More details to follow. He remains on bail pending his return to court for sentencing later this month.
The trial was presided over by Justice Sejilla McDowall.
Candlelight vigil held in 2018-file photo