‘The justice system works’ | Headlines

If Kelly-Ann Walters had her way, Omar Collymore would have spent the last moments of his life in prison, not only for the brutal murder of her beloved brother, but also for plotting to kill his wife, the mother of his two children.

Nevertheless, she was pleased with the life sentences handed down by the Circuit Court yesterday to Collymore and his co-defendants.

“I hope they get more, especially Collymore, because it is extremely cruel to do this to someone you call your wife. You lie down together,” she told The Gleaners yesterday.

“He’s had several years, and I tell you how much I wanted to get him, but I did want him to get it all, all of it. And when I say all of it, that means I say no number. He got the most.”

The 41-year-old American businessman was sentenced to life in prison yesterday for the January 2, 2018 murders of his wife Simone Campbell-Collymore and taxi driver Winston Corey Walters.

In sentencing, Judge Leighton Pusey required Collymore to serve 46 years and six months for Walters’ murder before being eligible for parole, and 44 years and six months for his wife’s murder.

He was also sentenced to 18 months in prison for murder, but both sentences will run concurrently.

Hitman Michael Adams was also sentenced to life imprisonment for each murder, and 40 years and six months for the murder of Campbell-Collymore; and 42 years and six months for the murder of Walters, before the possibility of parole.

He was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for murder. Adams’ sentences will also run concurrently.

Dwayne Pink was also sentenced to two life sentences: 30 years and six months for the murder of Campbell-Collymore before he is eligible for parole, and 32 years and six months for the murder of Walters.

He was also sentenced to 18 months in prison for murder and, like the others, his sentences will run concurrently.

Shaquila Edwards, who withdrew from the murder plot before the victim was killed, was convicted only of murder conspiracy and sentenced to one year in prison.

All suspects had their prison sentences reduced by six and a half years.

‘It’s painful’

Walters’ wife, Jewel-Ann, wants the death penalty for Collymore and his associates, his sister said.

Kerryn, who broke down in tears and nearly fainted during the trial, said that while she wished Collymore had received a longer pre-parole sentence, overall she was pleased with the outcome of the case.

However, she expressed disappointment in Edwards’ sentence.

“I don’t think he should get a year because to me if he had said something maybe he could have done something to stop this from happening,” she said.

The sister said while she was pleased with the justice system, she thought she would feel better, but that was not the reality yesterday.

“To be honest, it reminded me of when I went to Constant Spring on Jan. 3. It was painful, but I liked the way the judge did it,” she said.

She said that while the verdict brought her some comfort, the void left by losing her brother could never be filled.

“I want 60 years”

Campbell-Collymore’s mother, Karen Campbell, was also pleased with the outcome, while saying convicted killers could face longer pre-parole sentences.

“I wanted to serve 60 years each, but the judge has already made the sentence, so I accept it, and I know that everything is possible with God, so God knows why he gave him this,” she told The Gleaners.

But overall, she was satisfied with the verdict.

“I’m happy with the verdict that was just handed down. Personally, I have to say the judge did a really good job. He was very thorough, he explained everything, why he gave this amount, why he subtracted that amount,” the mother said.

“The justice system works. As my husband said, if you give it a chance, it works, so thank you for justice. I know this doesn’t bring her back but it brings some form of closure and we are satisfied,” she added.

She also expressed displeasure with Edwards’ one-year sentence but said “God knows best.”

As for her former son-in-law, Karen said she hopes he will reflect on his actions and repent. She hopes he and his associates realize that another judgment day is coming and they will stand before the “judge of all judges” and should therefore make sure they “make sure they get elected.”

Meanwhile, Crean said she hoped others planning deadly attacks on their loved ones would use yesterday’s verdict as a warning.

“I hope that anybody who plans to do this to their wife, sister, mother, brother or anybody, will take this as a lesson and know that Jamaica will not play games and they will bring them to justice no matter what,” she said.

Aggravating factors

Campbell-Collymore and Walters were killed on January 2, 2018 when several men on a motorcycle opened fire on them as they waited to enter the woman’s Forest Ridge apartment complex in Red Hill, St Andrew.

The 32-year-old mother of two was shot 19 times; the 36-year-old taxi driver was shot five times.

Collymore, Adams, a 33-year-old tailor and salesman, and Pink, a 34-year-old builder, were convicted of murder and conspiracy to murder on May 15 after a four-month trial.

In sentencing, Judge Pusey set a starting point of 35 years for the first murder (the victim was a woman) and 37 years for the second murder.

In both murder cases, aggravating factors such as contract killing and murder with a firearm increased the years of conviction, but increased detention time and good criminal records decreased the number of convictions, with the exception of Adams.

In Collymore’s case, the judge said his role played a large part in determining the length of his sentence, as he was not only the initiator but also the one who relayed his wife’s whereabouts and gave orders about when the murder would be carried out, and always with a sense of urgency. Collymore’s sentence had been as high as 55 years before it was reduced.

The judge said he also noted that “this was a carefully planned plan and that Collymore had sought to conceal his involvement and make it look like a robbery.” He also noted that the victim was Collymore’s intimate partner and he lamented the prevalence of intimate partner violence in society.

Acting Senior Attorney General Andrea Martin Swaby and her colleague Carolyn Wright asked for the case to be considered Collymore’s “most serious” and for Edwards to be sentenced to a pre-parole term ranging from 46 years and six months to 48 years and six months. They also asked for Pink’s sentence to be increased from 41 years and six months to 43 years and six months.

Attorney Diane Jobson represented Collymore, Gnoj MacDonald represented Edwards and Earnest Davis represented Pink. Attorney Sanjay Smith represented Adams.

Tanisha mundle@gleanerjm.com