Coroner's inquest into Mandeville businessman Jason Neil's death adjourned to October 3

The coroner's inquest into the death of 33-year-old Mandeville businessman Jason Neil, whose body was found with a gunshot wound to the head on the bathroom floor at his home on December 4, 2018, is to continue on October 3.

Several family members, including Neil's widow, have testified before the seven-member jury at the inquest which began in December 2023 in the Mandeville Coroner's Court in Manchester

Neil's widow, who was pregnant at the time of the incident, had testified that she was at home and heard an explosion.

When she went to investigate, she saw Neil on the bathroom floor of their Ingleside residence in Mandeville. He was bleeding and his licensed firearm was beside him, the widow said.  Neil was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

On June 6, Detective Sergeant Pat Wallace testified that on December 4, 2018 he received a call and went to the home of the deceased. He observed on the floor in the bathroom a Glock 19 pistol without its magazine. There was a large pool of blood on the floor as well as a magazine with live rounds. He said he also saw a single nine-millimetre spent shell casing on the floor.

In giving further evidence, he said he observed the fixtures and measurements in the bathroom. He said he saw a hole in a shower curtain and damage to the wall beyond the shower curtain area, which was about four feet in height from the floor. A fragment of bullet was also observed on the floor in the bathtub, he said.

Sergeant Wallace testified that he came to the belief that the hole in the curtain and damage to the wall was by a gunshot. He said he also came to the conclusion that whoever discharged the firearm would either be sitting on the toilet or stooping beside it.

He said based on his observations at the scene and other information given to him, he commenced investigations into a case of suspected suicide and enlisted the services of Forensic Scene of Crime Investigators to assist in the investigation.

He said he later visited the Mandeville Regional Hospital where he observed Neil's body which had a circular burn mark to the right side of the head which was an entrance wound. The exit wound was to the left of the head. He said he was not able to say if the deceased was left-handed or right-handed.

The father of the deceased, Bunny Neil, had testified that he was right-handed.

King's Counsel KD Knight is representing the deceased's father. Neil's widow is being represented by attorney-at-law Christopher Honeywell.

-Barbara Gayle

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