A warrant of arrest was issued on Friday for a man accused of triple murder who failed to appear for his pretrial conference.

Shawn Knowles, who is on bail, and Timothy "Timmy" Saunders, who is in custody, both of Cowpen Road, are accused of the July 30, 2011 shooting deaths of Edward Braynen; Erica Ward, who was eight months pregnant; and Chackara Rahming in their apartment at Montgomery Avenue, off Carmichael Road. The men are not accused of killing Ward's unborn baby because the child is not considered a person under Bahamian law.

Police alleged that the murders were in retaliation for the July 12 murders of Kevin Forbes and Alwayne Leslie at the Haitian village, off Montgomery Avenue. Ward was pregnant with the child of Serrano Adderley, the 30-year-old man charged with the deaths of Forbes and Leslie. Knowles is the nephew of Forbes.

Knowles was a no show for yesterday's hearing before Senior Justice Stephen Isaacs, which was held to ensure the prosecution and defense were ready for the January 18, 2016 trial. Knowles' lawyer, Calvin Seymour, said he had not been in contact with his client and noted that he had missed another pre-trial conference held earlier this. Seymour said that he had all the documents required for trial and was ready to proceed. Prosecutor Algernon Allen Jr. also said the Crown was ready for trial. However, Seymour noted that Saunders was still unrepresented.

Saunders said his bail had been revoked in 2014. He also claimed that his previous court-appointed lawyer did not have his best interests at heart.

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