Updated | Killer in Simone Campbell-Collymore's murder reportedly offered $2 million, court told

One of Simone Campbell-Collymore's killers was reportedly offered $2 million to carry out the hit.

Wade Blackwood, a self-confessed member of the Unruly Gang, this morning testified that he was told this by the other shooter, 'Jim', who he said was the “don” for the gang.

The 32-year-old businesswoman and taxi driver, Winston Walter, 36, were fatally shot outside the gate of her Forest Ridge apartment in Red Hills, St Andrew, on January 2, 2018 by two men.

Blackwood was one of two men who were seen spraying bullets into the taxi with the two aboard.

The murder convict, who pleaded guilty to the killings, is currently serving two life sentences.

He will be eligible for parole after serving 35 years.

Blackwood, when asked about the murder this morning in court, he maintained that he was forced to carry out the killing by Jim.

He said Jim told him that he would have to carry out the woman's murder as payment for a gun that the police had taken from his brother.

"Jim say me brother get hold wid a gun fi him and fi mi pay, me affi murder a woman.

"Jim say him a get $2 million but me nah get no money, me wud just kill de lady and de death ah de money, and if me no do it him ago kill me or mi mada,"Blackwood testified.

According to the witness, he did not say anything as he felt he did not have a choice.

Blackwood said he was told this on the morning of Campbell-Collymore's murder.

He said when Jim came to inform him and delivered a Glock 26 gun, co-defendants Dwayne Pink and Michael Adams were present.

Both men are charged along with the woman's husband Omar Collymore and Shaquille Edwards for the murders.

According to Blackwood, Adams was the contract killer, and one morning, after getting a phone call, he told them that the man who gave him the contract just told him to come by the house now as the woman was about to leave.

The witness said the first meeting was day before the shooting.

Walters was transporting Campbell-Collymore to her Forest Ridge, St Andrew home when, on reaching her gate, they were attacked and fatally cut down in a hail of bullets by two men on motorcycles on January 2, 2018.

A post-mortem revealed that Campbell-Collymore was shot 19 times and died from "multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen, with injuries to the lung, liver and right kidney."

Walters was shot five times and died from a gunshot wound to the head.

The killing was captured on closed-circuit television, one of the factors that nudged Blackwood to plead guilty.

Video recordings and still images showed Blackwood approaching the front passenger side of the vehicle and firing into it, court documents from the case revealed.

- Tanesha Mundle

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