PHILIPSBURG–The 24-year-old man held responsible for the violent death of Alejandro “Ali” Hodge, who was stabbed to death on September 1, 2016, near the Delta Petroleum gas station in Dutch Quarter, was sentenced to twelve years by the Court on Wednesday.
Suspect Roberto R.F. Brooks denied the allegations. Nevertheless, the Court found him guilty of manslaughter and sentenced him according to the Prosecutor’s demand. Brooks was acquitted of murder, as the Court and the Prosecutor’s Office did not find premeditation proven.
Hodge, a resident of Dutch Quarter, fell victim to what appeared to have been a heated argument with the suspect, which had escalated into a fight. During the fight the suspect used a knife. The weapon was found next to the victim, who fell into a ditch. After committing this crime the suspect fled the scene into the direction of Nazareth.
Brooks, nicknamed “Biggy,” denied the allegations. He said he had been cleaning the yard of a house in nearby Nazareth, and denied he had been in an argument with Hodge.
Witnesses, however, informed the Police that Brooks had asked Hodge for a dollar to buy lunch. Hodge declined and had told Brooks to get himself a job. This statement apparently enraged Brooks, who started to fight Hodge during which he was stabbed.
The victim sustained two stab wounds, one of which punctured his heart and the other his left cheek.
On February 1, 2012, Brooks was sentenced to five years, one of which was suspended, for theft with violence and deprivation of liberty. The fatal stabbing was committed during the defendant’s probation period, which began January 7, 2015, and is to expire September 6, 2017.
During the handling of this case, attorney Safira Ibrahim claimed that her client’s alibi could not be verified because the exact time of the incident could not be established. She said calls to the 911 emergency number could not be retrieved.
The Judge, however, dismissed these statements, and largely based Brook’s conviction on statements of two witnesses who had identified him as the culprit.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/68402-gas-station-stabber-gets-twelve-years
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