Earl Baptist Found Guilty of Businessman’s 2022 Murder; Sentencing Set for July

High Court Justice Derick Sylvester found Earl Baptist guilty of the 2022 shooting murder of thirty-two-year-old Leslie Norman Gillett. Gillett, a businessman, was executed inside his establishment, Matilda’s Shop, in Burrell Boom Village on January 21, 2022.

The Crown presented video footage showing the murder and a police witness who identified one of the two shooters as Earl Baptist, despite his wearing a COVID-19 face mask and stockings over his head. The second shooter was never identified or charged, but during the trial, the police witness indicated a belief about the possible identity of the second shooter, who had recently been killed.

Baptist provided an alibi in an unsworn testimony from the dock, claiming he was with his father and common-law wife, but he did not call anyone to testify on his behalf. Justice Sylvester will hear a mitigation plea on July 15, 2024, before issuing a sentence.