By Onika James Thursday, October 29 2009

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FREED: Carlos Campos celebrates with his attorneys Evans Welch, left, and Wayne Sturge moments after being acquitted of the 2005 murder of Godfrey He...

Unexpectedly enough attorneys and some members of the public cried openly yesterday in the Port-of-Spain First Assizes when Carlos Campos was acquitted of the 2005 murder of Godfrey Henry.

Shortly after returning from their deliberations, the Judicial Officer in court enquired from the foreman of the jury, what was their verdict. The foreman clearly said “Not guilty.”

That response led to an open display of emotions both from the bar and the public gallery.

Campos’ attorneys Wayne Sturge and Evans Welch broke down in tears. Campos’ relatives seated in the public gallery also began sobbing loudly.

Following the “not guilty” verdict, trial judge Justice Herbert Volney enquired about the alternative verdict of manslaughter.

However, the foreman of the jury replied, “we find him not guilty, full stop.”

The foreman further told the judge, “it was not an easy decision.”

The prosecution’s case led by State attorney Jeron Joseph, contended that Campos had shot and killed Henry aka (Rattle), while he was standing at the front of the Port-of-Spain State Prison, on the morning of February 28, 2005.

However, Campos, testified that, Henry was the one who attacked him, and a struggle ensued.

In his evidence in-chief, Campos said, he managed to disarm Henry during the struggle, and when he got the weapon from Henry’s hands, he squeezed it, and the gun “went off.”

Henry received seven shots about the body — in the upper abdomen, the shoulder, the back of the head, and three times in the right side of the back, according to the autopsy’s report.

The defence contended that the pattern of the shots was consistent with Campos’ account of the incident.

While testifying, Campos said, he “wanted to live”and the shooting was in self defence, and not revenge.

The defence painted Henry as a bully, and an evil man who had no regard for human life, and because of this, Welch argued that the jury could have safely believed Campos’ account because the deceased was a notorious gunman.

Welch argued that Henry had several firearms and firearm possession charges pending against him. The attorney also cemented his client’s defence, and said, “because of Henry’s association with gangs, he would never go to a place without a gun.” That claim was substantiated when Henry’s sister testified that, “ the deceased was a criminal, a violent man who the younger criminals in St Barb’s looked up too.”

Campos, now 36, was born in Trinidad, but grew up in Venezuela until the age of 16. He is a father of four, and bilingual in Spanish and English. At the time of the killing, Campos was employed as an interpreter.

Campos’ mother Juana told Newsday yesterday, “I am happy. God has his hand in everything,” she declared.