Nah Trial Stalls Again as Judge Weighs No‑Case Bid

The long‑running triple‑murder trial of Elmer Nah hit another delay today, right at the start of a five‑week break. The court granted an adjournment after Nah’s attorney, Dr. Lynden Jones, formally submitted a written no‑case submission following the close of the Crown’s months‑long trial. That trial ended with a voir dire, where the judge ruled that the late Vivian Ramnarace’s witness statement and other key pieces of evidence could be admitted. Back in December, Dr. Jones signaled his intention to file the no‑case submission, and Justice Nigel Pilgrim instructed both sides to put their arguments in writing. Those submissions now total three hundred and twenty-eight pages, documents the judge must carefully review before ruling on whether Nah has a case to answer. At the heart of Dr. Jones’s argument is this: even though the evidence was admitted, he believes Nah should not be called to answer because, in his view, there was no proper identification of the accused. Both the defense and the Crown agreed there was no need to present oral arguments in court this morning. Justice Pilgrim confirmed he has received Dr. Jones’s full submission, while Crown Counsel Terrence Williams is relying on arguments previously presented during the voir dire, arguments that supported the admission of the main witness statement and other critical evidence, including the pair of boots police say they found in Nah’s pickup and a headlamp reportedly discovered on his forehead, allegedly used during the murders. Justice Pilgrim has reserved his ruling on the no‑case submission for tomorrow morning at nine. Nah has been remanded back to the Belize Central Prison in the meantime. Before adjourning around 10:30 a.m., Justice Pilgrim advised Dr. Jones to return prepared to present a defense, depending on how the ruling goes.