The presiding judge in the ongoing murder case against Everton ‘Beachy Stout’ McDonald and his co-accused, Oscar Barnes, has freed both men of their conspiracy to murder charge.
McDonald and Barnes are currently on trial for the murder of McDonald’s wife, Tonia, on July 20, 2020. Tonia’s body was found on a deserted road in Sherwood Forest in Portland, partially burned.
Contract killer turned witness Denvalyn Minott previously testified in court that McDonald hired him to kill Tonia, but he passed on the job to Barnes.
Evidence submitted to the court included an alleged recording of McDonald, revealing that he had advised Tonia to purchase guns from Minott.
The ruse was allegedly orchestrated to lure Tonia to her death. However, McDonald has denied that he is the man on the recording.
His attorneys have also argued that there was no conspiracy to kill his wife. Furthermore, the court was told that there is no physical evidence tying Barnes to Tonia’s murder apart from Minott’s statements.
On Monday, Judge Chester Stamp upheld a no-case submission by the defence concerning the conspiracy charge in the Home Circuit Court. The decision was made after finding no evidence that could establish that there was indeed a conspiracy between the defendants.
However, Barnes and McDonald will remain on trial for their murder charges. The defence teams for the defendants will begin their case tomorrow.
