Murder trial

Anthony Teteeth and Frances Buchun are charged in connection with the murder of Yap State's former acting Attorney-General, Rachelle Bergeron.

The US citizen was shot outside her home in October 2019 in a rare act of violence for the small island state.

The Yap State and FSM National court cases concerning the killing have been delayed, hampered by a travel ban announced in January because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The no-case submission was moved after all of the state’s witnesses were called and it closed its evidence in the trial.

Erave man Jerry Turi’s lawyer asked the court to stop the trial halfway and acquit him, citing the state did not produce enough evidence to convict him.

The court found there was enough evidence to proceed with the trial and dismissed his application.

He will return to court next Tuesday, where the court will hear his side of the case through the witnesses he intends to call.

The sentence was deferred to allow time for officers from the Community Based Corrections Probation Service to interview Southern Highlands man, Billy Sapsi Pokea and produce a Pre-sentence Report.

This report is vital in assisting the court to decide its sentence against Pokea.

During submission on sentence last month, Pokea asked the court to impose a suspended sentence term on him due to his health condition.

Justice Nicholas Kiriwom in adjourning the sentence said this report will assist the court to come up with a just decision.

Haroa Kaikara, pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder today before Justice Panuel Mogish which led to the commencement of his trial.

Day two of the trial today, saw the State’s key witness, the daughter of the late Lapan Nason give an account of what she witnessed that morning before the court.

Elsa Nason was the only person who saw what transpired between her late father and the accused, Justin Parker between 4am and 6am of June 6, 2015.

Her evidence is crucial in the case which took both prosecution and the defence the whole morning to cross examine her.

She was the fourth witness from the state.

Parker is on trial over the murder of Lapan Nason on June 8, 2015. The late Nason was the Chief aircraft engineer employed in Parker’s company, Golden Valley Enterprise.

At the presentation of the charge and allegations against him by the state, Parker pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder.

It is the state’s allegation that he assaulted the late Nason on June 6, 2015 between 4am and 6am, with the intent of causing grievous bodily harm to him.

Nason died two days later from injuries sustained during the assault.