ROCK, Trelawny — Attorney at law Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, who is also the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Member of Parliament for Trelawny Southern, says her client, the 16 year-old accused of fatally stabbing his schoolmate during a dispute over a “guard ring”, will return to court in May.

It was an uneventful first appearance on Friday when the teenager arrived at the courthouse. Clad in a white shirt and blue pants, he was quickly whisked into the rear entrance of the building by the police.

According to his attorney, the case file is incomplete. She skirted the question of whether or not he had been remanded in custody while he awaits his next court appearance.

“We just had a hearing of the court; that is all I want to say. I don’t really want to say anything else because the publicity doesn’t help either side. The courts are handling the matter as is normal. We have fair and just courts and a date has been set for May for the matter. The file is not as yet complete,” she said guardedly.

Dalrymple-Philibert spoke, in general terms, of the tragic circumstances that have now left so many grieving.

“My heart is full; grief is there on both sides. We can only ask for God’s guidance throughout the situation, to bless both mothers, both families, and to help us see them through it — not just for themselves but for the future of our country and other children,” she said.

“The truth is the society has become so hostile, and this is what we are passing on to our younger children. So, it is an opportunity for all of us who have heard about this case and others like this to understand that as adults, this is what we owe to our children, this is what we owe to Jamaica, the future of our country. We need, as adults, to take the responsibility to be less hostile, to understand that we can talk to each other about matters and not behave in a way that puts our children in this,” she urged.

There were shockwaves across the country on March 21 when news broke that 16-year-old Khamal Hall, a grade 10 student at the William Knibb Memorial High School, was stabbed to death by one of his peers during the lunch break. It is alleged that the two boys had an altercation over the ring, which belonged to another student, when things turned deadly.

According to local folk lore, guard rings protect wearers from harm. They have been linked to those engaged in lottery scamming, gangs, and other illicit activity. School officials said they have seized many of the rings since school resumed face to face instruction across the country on Monday.