Witnesses offered $150K to lie on Hamilton, court hears
KINGSTON, Jamaica — A former inmate of the Horizon Correctional Facility testified today that two of the main prosecution witnesses told him that they were going to plot lies against Constable Rushon Hamilton.
Hamilton is on trial for the murder of 14-year-old Jhaneal Goulbourne.
The former inmate, whose name is being withheld, said the witnesses told him that they were going to be paid $150,000 by family members of the victim if they lied on Hamilton.
One of the prosecution witnesses is the man who testified that Hamilton confessed to murdering the teenager.
The other witness told jurors that Hamilton asked him to find out when Jhaneal would leave her home, and said that he was going to “tek har whey”.
The defense witness also told the court that the man who said Hamilton confessed was a friend of Jhaneal’s mother.
He added that the witness told him that he was going to lie because Hamilton “kidnapped and raped the girl who was a daughter of his friend”.
Today’s witness told the Court that his reason for coming forward is that he gave his life to God and he was bothered by his conscience.