Canadian diplomat tries to convince judge to release son in fatal Miami shooting

Roxanne Dube takes the stand, convinces judge to release Marc Wabafiyebazu on bond

MIAMI – The Canadian consul general took the stand Friday in a Miami courtroom, trying to convince the judge to let her teenage son be released on bond while he awaits trial in a deadly drug deal that killed his brother and another man.

If the hearing does not go in Marc Wabafiyebazu's favor he could spend a year or more in jail before he goes to trial, so it did not take long for his mother to get emotional and cry on the stand.

Despite her son facing a double murder charge in a drug deal gone wrong that ended with her oldest son and another man dead, Roxanne Dube told the court she loves her son and he is innocent.

"Marc is the son that every parent would want to have," Dube said. "He is a good boy. He never had any issues whatsoever with behavior in school."

Dube said despite having ADD and dyslexia, he is a smart boy who has overcome many challenges and she appeared to point the finger at her older son when it came to why Wabafiyebazu is behind bars.

"He loved his older brother and he just was highly influenced by his older brother," Dube said.

Police Officer Juan Velez testified that as he was transferring Wabafiyebazu in his patrol car, the teen told him he was in on the robbery.

"His brother went in with two guns," said Velez. "He tells me that they have done this on numerous occasions and that it wasn't supposed to go like that."

At the end the Canadian consul general told the court if her son gets bond she will serve as a trustworthy custodian.

"I don't have many things. I don't have many belongings, but my life is a life of integrity," Dube said. "Hard work, determination and obtaining whatever I did through that. So if I give you my word, I mean it."

The state has to show they have proof evident and there is a presumption great that Wabafiyebazu was in on the robbery and ultimately responsible for two murders. The judge said she will take it all under advisement and likely rule from the bench next Tuesday.

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