A man who is serving a 40-year sentence for murder will learn his fate concerning a second murder conviction next month.
Mark McKenzie, 32, will be sentenced on October 12 for the murder of Carlos Adderley Jr.
McKenzie appeared before Justice Franklyn Williams, KC, yesterday for a sentencing hearing.
A probation officer testified that McKenzie denied killing Adderley, whom he described as a childhood friend.
McKenzie maintained his innocence and said that he had no reason to kill Adderley.
Adderley was on a basketball court near a church in Blue Hills Estates when a gunman, identified as McKenzie by an anonymous witness, shot him multiple times on January 17, 2017.
Adderley’s mother said that she forgave McKenzie, but she said she wanted justice.
Adderley was killed months before he was scheduled to graduate from the University of The Bahamas with a degree in mechanical engineering.
McKenzie, who has been using drugs since he was eight years old, was expelled from Bahamas Academy for drug use, the court heard.
McKenzie is the father of an 11-year-old girl, and the mother of their child described him as a “real man” and “good father”.
He reportedly has a history of firearm arms convictions that span a period of 17 years.
McKenzie is serving a 40-year sentence for the March 2017 murder of Leslie Green in Yellow Elder.
Prosecutors have suggested a sentence in the range of 40 to 50 years for the second murder.
