WILLEMSTAD - The man who killed a pedestrian on Monchiweg in 2021 has been acquitted. According to the judge, the acquittal is partly the result of a lack of police investigation.
The victim was walking to work on the day in question and was hit by the suspect. The victim was dressed in black, walking on the road, which was not lit, and wearing earphones to listen to music.
Police found the victim fifteen meters behind the suspect's car. There were no skid marks. The car had no front lights.
The driver had drunk two glasses of whiskey, he said. The police had an alcohol test taken, which showed that his blood alcohol level was 1.1. He had not noticed the victim because, according to his own words, it was rather dark and the lights did not work.
Reckless
According to the prosecutor, the suspect drove recklessly on that day and caused the death of the victim. He had alcohol in his blood and was not focused on traffic.
No investigation had been carried out into which part of the street was lit, but the lights did work at the scene of the accident, according to the prosecutor.
All of this led the prosecutor to demand a 12-month prison sentence, three of which were suspended, and a two-year driving ban.
But the judge would not agree. There were no witnesses to support the accusations of the Public Prosecution Service and the police had not investigated the lighting situation on the street.
Alcohol
Because the Curaçao legislation does not distinguish per mille, it is legally impossible to determine whether the measured per mille is allowed or not. The suspected driver has therefore been acquitted. The OM has since filed an appeal.