Farmer charged with murder

Twenty-nine-year-old Shamar Barnes, otherwise called 'Tanso', a farmer of Lititz district, St Elizabeth, has been charged with murder and wounding with intent following an incident in Mount Pleasant district, in the parish on September 20.

The deceased has been identified as 60-year-old Jerome Laws, a labourer of Lititz district. Reports from the Nain police are that at 10:20 p.m., Laws and Barnes had an altercation when another man intervened. During the fracas, Barnes used a knife to inflict wounds on the other man and then stabbed Laws. The police were alerted, and both men were taken to the hospital, where Laws was pronounced dead and the other man was treated and released.

On October 4, Barnes was held in Portland and subsequently escorted to St Elizabeth where he was subsequently charged after a question-and-answer session. Preparations for his court date are under way.