ACCUSED MURDERER WALKS FREE

September 14, 2007

Rudolph Young was found not guilty of murder today in court. A jury of seven women and five men found Young not guilty of the murder of 68-year-old Wilford Requena who was bludgeoned to death on February 8, 2005 at Franks Eddy Layout. The jury also found Young not guilty of manslaughter. Requena was the caretaker of a farm owned by Rodney Bowen located at Frank Eddys Layout when the incident occurred. The allegation was that Young and three other men went to the farm with the intention to steal Requena’s gun. The other three were Leroy Arnold, Alfonso Juarez and William Rubio. Arnold, Juarez and Rubio were charged jointly with Young for murder but the charge was withdrawn from them when they agreed to testify for the prosecution. Juarez testified that he and Young went to the house while Arnold and Rubio stood guard at the gate. Juarez said Requena offered them wine and when Requena left them outside and went upstairs for more wine, Young told him to hit Requena with a pinch bar when he bent over to pour the wine. Juarez testified that he did as he was told and Requena fell after he inflicted the blow. Arnold testified that he left the gate and went to the house in time to see Young hit Requena twice in his head with a piece of board. Rubio testified that Young told him to put Requena’s body downstairs of the house and after tying the feet of the dead man with shoe laces, he threw a piece of tarpaulin over the body. Young gave a statement from the dock in which he claimed that it was Juarez who killed Requena. Young was represented by attorney Oswald Twist while Crown Counsel Douglas Carr represented the prosecution. The trial judge was Justice Adolph Lucas.

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