Dantay Brooks the son of dancehall artiste David “Mavado” Brooks and his co-accused Andre Hinds were yesterday found guilty of the 2018 murder of Lorenzo “Israel” Thomas in Cassava Piece, St Andrew.

The two, who were also found guilty of arson, are to be sentenced on March 10.

They were tried before Supreme Court judge Justice Leighton Pusey for the murder of Thomas who was shot and killed on June 5, 2018 and his body burnt beyond recognition after his house was set afire.

During the 12-day trial, which began on January 11, the prosecution presented evidence from 14 witnesses including Thomas’s father. The court heard that on the day before the incident, the elder Thomas received word that his son was going to be killed and made arrangements for him to stay elsewhere.

Later that day, the elder Thomas said he visited his son to give him some money for food and upon returning home he passed the accused men before entering his yard.

According to the elder Thomas, he went into his yard and later saw his son arrive at the house. He said he saw the two accused men and other individuals standing near his fence for a couple hours and pointed this out to his son.

Thomas said shortly after 3:30 am he heard when the door to his son’s front bedroom was “kicked off”, followed by what sounded like explosions. He said he then saw his son falling to the ground while clutching his chest, and the two accused men and two others in his son’s room.

The still-hurting father said he heard Hines ask if he (the father) should also be killed, but Brooks responded, “no”.

Thomas further told the court that he saw Brooks pass a cutlass to one of the individuals in the room who tried to sever his son’s head before declaring that the machete was too dull. The father said that other person, who was not before the court, fired several shots in his son’s head until the gun was empty.

That person then requested gasoline and poured some on the body of his son and around the house before setting it afire. The two accused, along with the two other men, then ran from the burning building, allowing Thomas to make his escape from the house. Firefighters later found Israel’s body in the burnt building.

During the trial Brooks and Hinds offered defence of alibi, which was rejected by the judge.

— Alicia Dunkley-Willis