Jahciba Shoy, 27, has been granted bail after the High Court dismissed all charges against him in connection with the fatal armed robbery at Pick ‘N Mix Mart on DeSouza Road that claimed the life of businessman Roudi Shmaly in 2023.

Although Justice John Spencer upheld a no-case submission and threw out the murder, aggravated robbery and manslaughter charges Shoy had been facing, he was returned to prison after the ruling because the prosecution signalled its intention to appeal. He was, however, entitled to apply for bail pending that appeal, and the court granted his application.

Bail was set at a $10,000 bond, with no cash deposit required, along with two sureties.

The case against Shoy collapsed after the judge found that the prosecution had failed to establish sufficient evidence to put the matter before a jury. The Crown’s case had relied largely on surveillance footage showing Shoy walking alongside the eventual gunman minutes before the robbery, along with evidence that he was carrying a shoulder bag similar to one later seen in the possession of the then 16-year-old who fatally shot Shmaly.

Defence attorney Wendel Alexander argued that this evidence amounted to speculation rather than proof, and was insufficient to show his client had participated in the crime. Speaking to ABS News following the ruling, Alexander said the prosecution had failed to present evidence directly linking Shoy to the robbery or the killing.

The robbery at Pick ‘N Mix Mart shocked Antigua and Barbuda when Shmaly was fatally shot during the hold-up. The teenager who pulled the trigger was previously convicted of murder and, because he was 16 at the time of the offence, received the maximum sentence then available under the country’s juvenile sentencing guidelines, serving three years in prison.

With the prosecution now pursuing an appeal of the no-case ruling, the matter against Shoy is not yet fully closed, though he remains free on bail in the meantime.