Prima facie case established for man accused of British resident’s murder at guesthouse
ST JAMES, Jamaica— Prosecutors have made out a prima facie case against a Clarendon man charged in connection with the death of a British resident who was shot at a guest house in Bogue Hill, St James in January this year.
A prima facie refers to a case in which pre-trial evidence was reviewed by a judge and determined to be sufficient to warrant the trial.
The ruling was handed down in the St James Parish Court during a committal hearing for Jevaughn Brown of Baillieston, Clarendon, who was charged with the murder of Sean Patterson, 33, a personal trainer from West London in Britain who was visiting Jamaica.
Brown is represented by attorney-at-law Sherneika Jackson.
“I find that there is enough evidence to send you to the Circuit Court where you will be tried,” presiding judge Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley ruled on Wednesday.
After the ruling, Smith-Ashley remanded the accused in custody until November 27, when the case will be heard in the St James Circuit Court.
Allegations are that at about 12:10 pm, Patterson was at a guest house when a gunman approached him and opened gunfire, hitting him in the upper body.
The police were summoned and Patterson was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Brown was subsequently arrested during an operation in Kingston by members of the Counter-terrorism and Organised Crime Branch.
The investigative file was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecution, who ruled that Brown be charged with murder and using a prohibited weapon to commit murder.
