Selgado Asks Court to Intervene on Prison’s Dosage of Insulin

Attorney Oscar Selgado returned to the High Court today, where his new attorneys, Arthur Saldivar and Darrell Bradley, were given time to review their client’s reports prior to mitigation. Bradley appeared virtually, while Saldivar had another court matter to attend to and was absent from the proceedings. There are three reports that have been furnished to them for perusal: a prison report, a social inquiry report and a psychological report that have all been prepared by people who have had a chance to analyze the defendant over the past few weeks. Selgado, convicted of abetment to murder upon Marilyn Barnes in 2019, was ordered to return to the court on May thirteenth, when his attorneys will present a mitigation plea on his behalf, asking for the court’s leniency in sentencing him. But Selgado, who has already filed for an appeal of his conviction laid down by Justice Nigel Pilgrim, had other concerns as he appeared in court today. He asked the court’s indulgence to investigate the dosage of insulin that the prison system has been administering to him. He said that he had erroneously informed the prison of the amount of insulin he should be receiving, but that he had corrected the error. Now he says the prison is still administering double the dosage that he should be receiving, and it is now resulting in a dangerously low glucose level for him. He also said that he asked his family to provide a physician for him this morning.  The doctor revealed that upon administering a test, Selgado’s glucose level was far lower than it ought to have been. Justice Pilgrim said he would do what he can to have the matter addressed. But when we checked with the C.E.O. of Kolbe Foundation, Virgilio Murillo following Selgado’s complaint, Murillo responded saying “Doctor Novelo told me he just got that clarification from him on Friday last … his glucose is tested regularly and the doctor has not raised any concerns about him whatsoever,”. Selgado asked permission to meet with his family before he was escorted back to the Belize Central Prison, and he was granted that opportunity. After speaking with him, his attorney, Arthur Saldivar, told reporters about the process ahead for Selgado.

 

Marion Ali

“The judge asked the other attorney for Mr. Selgado about three reports that I think you must review in order to prepare for mitigation: a prison report, a psychological report, and I think a social assessment report. Can, you speak to those? Have you been able to review those reports?”

 

Arthur Saldivar, Attorney for Oscar Selgado

“No, I have not. Those are standard reports whenever a person who has been accused is convicted of an offense. Those reports are normally antecedents to the sentencing process. In so far as they exist, I believe they have been forwarded to the attorney with conduct of the mitigation. A Notice of Appeal has been filed. This has nothing to do with that. This is the natural termination of the trial process. So he was convicted. Now he has to be sentenced for this trial to be fully concluded. And once the trial is fully concluded, then and only then would he be able to go to the court of appeal. But he has made his application already for this matter to be appealed.”