Cocoa Piece residents dissatisfied with Rushane Barnett sentence

Relatives and community members of the mother and her four children killed in Cocoa Piece, Clarendon have expressed disappointment in the sentence handed down to their killer Rushane Barnett.

Barnett was this morning ordered to serve five concurrent life sentences and must serve 61 years and eight months before being eligible for parole.

Sentencing was handed down by Justice Leighton Pusey in the Home Circuit Court.

Barnett was convicted in July on five counts of murder in relation to the killing of his cousins Kemesha Wright, Kimanda Smith, 15, Sharalee
Smith, 12, Rafaella Smith, 5, and 23-month-old Kishawn Henry Jr.

The deceased were discovered inside their Cocoa Piece home with chop wounds and their throats slashed on June 21.

The post-mortem report revealed that Barnett inflicted a total of 95 knife wounds on his cousins.

Reacting to today's sentencing, Kemesha's father, Peter Wright, said 61 years and eight months before parole was not enough as he lamented that he has been left without a daughter and his four grandchildren.

“But you know you haffi just gwaan bear it and gwaan hold on cah yuh cah bruck down yuhself.  A two sister children and you [Barnett] do dat to you family, you woulda something wickeda to a next family,” he said.

Noting that the law has taken course, he said there is nothing he can do about the sentence imposed.

Cocoa Piece resident David Anglin, who is a construction worker, said he was not impressed with Barnett's sentence.

“It bun mi sey wi money a go feed Rushane,” lamented Anglin.

“Everyday dem a talk bout tragedy and it is so simple… right now mi a contractor out inna sun and mi a work fi Rushane,” he said while airing his dissatisfaction.

According to Anglin, Kemesha worked on a construction site with him the day Barnett took her life.

“Mi wanted him to face di gallows…in my days people used to do crime less than dat and get harsher punishment more than now.”

For Kemesha's neighbour, Clevan Edwards, he believes that Barnett deserved much more years before he can be considered for release.

However, he said he is relieved that the case “come to a final end and him get a good enough sentence.”

“Him nuh get nutten, di man shoulda come back yah to how di man do di ting,” said another Cocoa Piece Peter Brown.

- Cecelia Campbell-Livingston

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