Four men have been acquitted of the murder of a teenager who was shot and killed nearly three years ago.
Nasaje Anderson, Aaron Perinchief, Jukai Burgess, and QuaZori Brangman pleaded not guilty to the murder of Letrae Doeman, who was shot in Flatts around 1:10 a.m. on July 1, 2022.
After a six-week trial, the jury reached a majority verdict of not guilty on all charges against the four men, who were also accused of using a firearm to commit a serious offense.
The Supreme Court heard that Mr. Doeman, 19 years old, was riding as a passenger on a motorcycle when it was targeted by two men on a black Honda motorcycle who opened fire. Mr. Doeman sustained ten gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital at 1:55 a.m.
TNN’s Trevor Lindsay spoke with defense counsel Mark Pettingill about the verdict he responded.
“After six weeks of intense courtroom proceedings, four men accused in a high-profile murder case have tonight walked free, acquitted on all counts. The verdict comes after the jury deliberated for eight hours before delivering a majority decision, finding each of the four not guilty.”
Among those celebrating the verdict was Barrister Mark Pettingill, who represented defendant Burgess. Speaking with us moments after the verdict was handed down, Pettingill emphasized both the significance of the outcome and the broader issues still at play in the community.
“The first thing you have to remember, Trevor, is that we do have a problem in this country,” Pettingill stated. “We do have a problem with young Black men killing young Black men. And this result—whether it had gone the other way—it doesn’t bring back that young man who lost his life.”
While he expressed relief over what he described as a just verdict, Pettingill acknowledged his early concerns that the defendants might fall victim to a miscarriage of justice.
“I was seriously concerned that there could have been a miscarriage of justice here because of what the case was. That is always going to be a concern.”
He went on to commend the professionalism displayed throughout the trial.
“The justice system has to work, and I believe it did here. We had a diligent jury, an outstanding and fair judge, and a prosecution team that did their job with integrity. We also had seasoned counsel on all sides. That’s the system working.”
However, Pettingill stressed that the real issue lies beyond the courtroom.
“We really do have to address this social issue. We cannot have young men killing young men. We just can’t. It’s not sustainable.”
As for the legal community, Pettingill noted a worrying trend.
“There’s only a handful of us barristers who take on these types of trials, and we know who we are. With more of these cases coming to court, it puts enormous pressure on the system. But again, it’s not the legal process that’s broken—it’s the social fabric we need to address.”
With tonight’s verdict, attention now turns not only to the justice delivered in this courtroom, but to the deeper societal wounds that continue to give rise to such cases. The acquittal may close this chapter, but it has also reignited calls for change far beyond the courthouse steps.
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