Legal submissions began yesterday in the appeal brought by former Matthews Lane strongman, Donald 'Zekes' Phipps, who is seeking to have his double-murder convictions overturned.

Phipps was convicted in the Home Circuit Court in April 2006 of the double murder.

He was sentenced on May 30, 2006, to life imprisonment on each count.

In addition, he was ordered to serve 30 years before he could be eligible for parole.

Frank Phipps, QC, and attorney-at-law Kathryn Phipps (no relation to the appellant) are submitting that the verdicts of the jury were unreasonable because there was no evidence to support the verdicts.

Phipps is also appealing on the grounds that his trial was unfair and amounted to an abuse of the process of the court because inadmissible evidence was allowed at the trial.

No evidence

The lawyers have also submitted that that there was no evidence to show that Phipps did anything which resulted in the death of the two men.

Phipps was convicted of the murder of Leroy Rodney Farqu-harson and Dayton Williams, both of Bayshore Park, east Kingston.

The burnt bodies with gunshot wounds were found in an open lot on Rose Lane, downtown, Kingston, on April 15, 2005.

- B.G.