Five people sentenced in 2020 robbery and murder of Kingston businessman Roger Chang
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Five people have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced in the Home Circuit Court for the 2020 robbery and murder of Kingston businessman Roger Chang in Dover, St Mary.
This was confirmed in a release by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), today.
Sentenced are Khadeisha McKenzie, Cebert Duggan, Ludlow Cousins, Jamar Jackson and Derrique Reid. Cousins, Jackson and Reid were minors at the time of the incident.
Between April 7, 2022, and May 20, 2022, four of the six accused entered pleas of guilt in the St Mary Circuit Court, and Duggan pleaded guilty in the Home Circuit Court. They were all sentenced by Justice Stephane Jackson Haisley.
McKenzie pleaded guilty to the offences of illegal possession of firearm, robbery with aggravation, unauthorised access to computer data, acquiring criminal property and murder.
According to the ODPP, on March 15, 2020, the lifeless body of Roger Chang was found on a beach in Dover, St Mary. The body had multiple stab wounds and the post mortem examination revealed that death was due to multiple stab wounds to the torso.
It is understood that Chang travelled to St Mary on a date with McKenzie, whom he met on the popular dating app Tinder. This date took them to a river at Enfield in the parish. However, at some point, prior to this trip, a plan was hatched to rob Chang. At some point during the robbery, it was suggested that Chang be killed as he had seen their faces, the ODPP said.
The then three minors objected to this course and eventually left the location where Chang was being held, once they shared in the money and other properties taken from the victim. McKenzie, Duggan and another accused transported Chang to a beach in Dover where he was stabbed multiple times. McKenzie, Duggan and the then minors were arrested in March 2020. A sixth accused was arrested in 2021.
For the offence of illegal possession of a firearm, McKenzie was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, for robbery with aggravation she was sentenced to 13 years, for unauthorised access to computer data, she was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment, for acquiring criminal property, she was sentenced to 12 years and for murder she was given life imprisonment. McKenzie will not be eligible for parole before serving 22 years and six months.
Duggan pleaded guilty to the offences of illegal possession of firearm, for which he was sentenced to 13 years; robbery with aggravation, for which he was given 13 years and six months imprisonment and murder, for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Duggan will not be eligible for parole before serving 24 years and six months.
Cousins pleaded guilty to the offences of illegal possession of firearm and robbery with aggravation, and he will be serving eight years and two months imprisonment and eight years and two months, respectively.
Jackson pleaded guilty to the offences of illegal possession of firearm and robbery with aggravation. He was sentenced to seven years and nine months imprisonment and eight years and four months imprisonment, respectively.
Reid pleaded guilty to the offences of illegal possession of firearm, robbery with aggravation, for which he was sentenced to nine years and 11 months for both charges. He also pleaded guilty to unauthorised access to computer data, for which he was given four years and 11 months, and acquiring criminal property, for which he was sentenced to seven years and 11 months.
