Woman charged with babyfather's death to return to court next month

Christopher Thomas, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

An 18-year-old St James woman who allegedly stabbed her 23-year-old babyfather to death last year will return to court in September as her case file is incomplete.

Crystal Phillips of an Albion Lane address in Montego Bay is before the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court to answer charges for the murder of Roneil Gray of Katan Lane in Mount Salem.

When the matter was first mentioned on Monday, Phillips was absent due to a miscommunication with her attorney, Petrona Wallock, regarding her scheduled court date.

"You were not here when your name was called earlier, madam," Resident Magistrate Sandria Wong-Small told the defendant when she finally arrived.

"I must apologise for my client. There was a miscommunication between us. She thought her court date was in September, and it was when I spoke to her that she realised it was today," explained Wallock.

Meanwhile, the prosecution informed the court that the forensic certificate had been typed but had not yet been served for the case file.

Wong-Small then advised Phillips that her bail was extended to September 24.

Allegations are that about 12:30 a.m. on November 6, 2011, Phillips showed up at Gray's home in Mount Salem and got into an argument with his mother.

Sometime afterwards, Gray arrived there and was about to enter his room when Phillips tried to prevent him from doing so. It is said that he got inside and the accused followed him. Gray was then heard calling for help and Phillips was seen running from the room with a knife in her hand.

Gray, who was stabbed multiple times, was taken to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

September date for two charged with murder of former councillor's son

Two men charged for the January 15 murder of Tian Colomathi, the son of former People's National Party councillor and president of the St James Lay Magistrate's Association, Donald Colomathi, are booked to return to court on September 24.

Junior Green and Junior Haughton are charged with the murder of the younger Colomathi, who was shot dead by gunmen outside a political meeting in Hampton, St James, that was being chaired by his father.

The accused men are being represented by attorneys-at-law Tamika Spencer and Adrian Dayes.

When the case was mentioned in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Monday, it was revealed that the ballistic certificate and three additional statements were still outstanding from the prosecution's case file.

Resident Magistrate Sandria Wong-Small extended the defendants' bail bonds. The investigating officer was also bound over to get the outstanding documents on file.

A third murder suspect, Kenardo Edwards of Camrose district in St James, was shot dead on June 30 during a gun battle with the police.