A South Florida judge has refused to release the teenage son of a prominent Canadian diplomat on bail pending trial on murder charges.
Circuit Judge Teresa Mary Pooler ruled Wednesday that 15-year-old Marc Wabafiyebazu was too great of a flight risk and would be difficult to extradite if he fled to Canada. He is the son of Roxanne Dube, Canada's consul general in Miami.
"We respect the court and we respect the fact that judges sometimes rule differently than we hoped," said Wabafiyebazu's Defense Attorney, Curt Obront.
Wabafiyebazu faces felony murder and other charges as an adult in a March 30 shootout that killed his older brother Jean and Joshua Wright. Police say the slayings happened after the Wabafiyebazu brothers tried to rob marijuana dealers.
Roxanne Dube has been at each hearing, often smiling at her son. But on Wednesday, the judge had some harsh words about her sons.
"Had the wherewithal to come to Miami and within six weeks, not only knew where to get sufficient marijuana to sell, but also had large quantities of money and more importantly, were able to obtain guns," Judge Pooler said.
Detectives say Wabafiyebazu and his brother went to an apartment to buy drugs when the shooting took place. A police officer testified that the teen told him he saw his brother in a pool of blood and ran after the shooter, firing a weapon.
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"I'm not an expert on extradition but it seems to me it's highly unlikely that if Mr. Wabafiyebazu were to flee to Canada where his mother has family and he has father there that the United States would ever be able to bring him back," said Judge Pooler.
Marc Wabafiyebazu has pleaded not guilty. His mother says she is convinced he is innocent and had insisted she would ensure he remained in the U.S. if released.
Dube left the courthouse without talking to reporters.
