By Breaking Belize News Staff: The murder trial of Jamie Caesar Young, accused of fatally shooting his former girlfriend’s new partner during a highway pursuit in 2024, has been pushed back to 2027 after plea discussions between the defense and prosecution failed to produce an agreement.
Young appeared before High Court Justice Candace Nanton on Friday, where his attorney, Dr. Lynden Jones, informed the court that discussions with the Crown had not reached a successful conclusion and that the matter would therefore proceed to trial.
However, with the court’s calendar already fully booked for the remainder of 2026, Justice Nanton informed the parties that a new trial date would have to be scheduled for next year.
In an unusual development, Justice Nanton invited the defense to consider a Maximum Sentence Indication (MSI), a procedure through which the court would indicate the maximum sentence Young could face if he entered a guilty plea under the circumstances presented. Jones accepted the court’s offer on his client’s behalf.
The defense has been ordered to file its submissions and agreed facts of the case by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, October 19. Justice Nanton is expected to deliver the sentencing indication at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, October 23.
The judge made clear that Young is not obligated to accept the indication and that declining it would not prejudice his right to proceed to trial.
Young is charged with the March 16, 2024 murder of 30-year-old Damion Dominique Baptist, a bus driver and former Belize Defence Force soldier from Burrell Boom Village.
According to earlier reports by Breaking Belize News, Baptist was driving a red Ford Fusion along the Philip Goldson Highway with Young’s former girlfriend, Laneedrah Dawson, when Young allegedly pursued them in a grey pickup truck.
Investigators allege that Young repeatedly pulled alongside their vehicle and opened fire. Baptist was eventually struck in the head near Our Lady of the Way RC School in Ladyville, causing him to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a lamppost. He was pronounced dead after being transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.
Young subsequently surrendered to police and was charged with murder and aggravated assault against Dawson.
During pre-trial proceedings in May, prosecutors indicated that they intended to rely on surveillance footage, photographs and material allegedly extracted from a phone, while the defense disclosed plans to call an alibi witness.
The trial has since suffered several postponements, including an October 5 adjournment after Jones reportedly fell ill and another postponement on Thursday.
The latest development leaves open the possibility of resolving the case without a trial, depending on the sentencing indication and Young’s decision. If no agreement is reached, the murder trial will proceed in 2027.
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