🔍 Double murder trial postponed due to forensic evidence complications

Wayne Bellafonte Jr, a 32-year-old North Side resident, has had his double murder trial postponed for at least the third time. Bellafonte is accused of the murders of Mark Andre Ebanks (36) and Eldon Charles Walton (55) in a drive-by shooting in July 2021. The delay is due to Bellafonte's lawyers working with defence experts to prepare reports on DNA and gunshot residue samples. Bellafonte, who has been on remand for over a year, has denied the murder charges and is challenging the validity of the forensic evidence.🧪

At the time of the murders, police suspected the incident to be a gang-related killing. A third man was also shot but survived his injuries. Bellafonte is also accused of attempting to murder this man and possessing an unlicensed gun. Prosecutors allege that Bellafonte was one of several men who opened fire from a car at the Globe Bar on Martin Drive, George Town, causing the deaths of Ebanks and Walton. No other suspects have been charged in this case. The trial, initially scheduled for March, may be pushed back to May due to a crowded court docket.🏛️