Brother tells of murder trial ordeal.A MAN who was accused of killing his brother during a row has told of his relief after being cleared.Tony Marshall, left, was arrested and charged with manslaughter manslaughter, homicide committed without justification or excuse but distinguished from murder by the absence of the element of malice aforethought. Modern criminal statutes usually divide it into degrees, the most common distinction being between voluntary and when his older brother Michael collapsed and died after they had argued at a shopping centre. Michael, who was known to his pals as 'Little Elvis' suffered a massive heart attack at the Sanderson Arcade, in Morpeth. But Tony was accused of bringing about his brother's death by pinning him against a bench. The 50-year-old endured an agonising nine-month wait to stand trial, terrified ter·ri·fy tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies 1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten. 2. To menace or threaten; intimidate. he would be found guilty of a horrific crime he did not commit. But after experts told Newcastle Crown Court that Michael had been suffering from a serious heart defect he did not even know he had, prosecutors decided to offer no evidence, resulting in Tony's acquittal The legal and formal certification of the innocence of a person who has been charged with a crime. Acquittals in fact take place when a jury finds a verdict of not guilty. . He said: "I had never committed a crime in my life and all of a sudden I was being accused of killing my own brother. The past nine months have been constant worry. I didn't know if I was going to go to jail. My whole life has been on hold." |
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