MURDER convict Wade Blackwood testified on Thursday that his mother ran him out of her house after watching the news and seeing him firing a gun into a taxi in which businesswoman Simone Campbell-Collymore was a passenger.

Simone and taxi driver Winston Walters were killed outside the entrance gate of her apartment complex on Stanley Terrace in Red Hills, St Andrew. The January 2, 2018 incident was captured by a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera.

As they waited for a security guard to let them inside, Collymore and Walters were pounced upon by Blackwood and another man, who hopped from motorcycles, guns in hand.

“I knew I was wanted after watching the footage of the incident. My mother saw me on the news. She approached me cursing and I told her the truth. She said she never grow me to fire any gun and she ran me out of the house,” Blackwood told a seven-member jury during the Home Circuit Court murder trial of Simone’s husband Omar Collymore and co-accused Shaquile Edwards, Michael Adams and Dewayne Pink.

It is alleged that Collymore ordered a hit on his wife for $2 million.

According to Blackwood, he did not know Omar Collymore before the murders, but said he met him while in a holding cell at the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court. He said he also recognised him from the news.

Blackwood claimed that in the “bull pen” at the court was each of his co-accused, including Collymore. He said that Collymore was pointed out to him by Michael Adams and that he went over and sat beside him to inquire why he wanted his wife dead. However, Blackwood said that Collymore didn’t answer, but gave him “a look”.

He claimed that on another day, he told Collymore that he was going to plead guilty for the murders and Collymore insisted on trying to convince him of what to say during his plea.

“He wanted me to make him go free. Collymore said I should tell the judge that his wife was trying to kill him, but things went the other way. He did not tell me not to plead, but he wanted to tell me how to plead,” Blackwood said.

After pleading guilty to the double murder, Blackwood was hit with two life sentences in 2021 and was ordered to spend 35 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole. He also received a sentence for illegal possession of firearm.

However, Blackwood got his sentence shaved down to 20 years in prison before being eligible for parole after agreeing to testify against his conspirators and accomplices.

Blackwood claimed that while inside his cell, which he shared with Collymore for at least five months, he was told that he would still get payment for the killings but that he needed to say the right things during his plea in court.

Blackwood told the court that he had already accepted that he was not going to get any money for carrying out the murder because his participation was merely to pay off his brother’s debt for an illegal gun which got into the hands of the police. He said the gun belonged to a now deceased Brooke Valley gang member, who he referred to as Jim.

“When he told me he would still pay me, Collymore did not know I had a debt to pay for gun my brother got held with,” Blackwood said.

On Wednesday Blackwood said that Jim forced him into carrying out the murder.

“I fired those shots into the vehicle because I didn’t have any choice. I have a brother who was in the Unruly Gang. The gang operates from Brooke Valley in Duhaney Park. My brother got caught with a gun and went to prison because of it. Sometime before the murder, Jim came to me and said my brother got caught with his gun and, for me to pay for it, I have to murder someone to clear my brother’s debt. When Jim said this Michael Adams was right there beside Jim. Jim said he would get $2 million, but I wouldn’t get any because of my brother’s debt.

“Jim seh if mi don’t do it, him ago kill me, mi mother or a family member. I didn’t even get the chance to say anything. Adams told Jim that the lady affi dead, else dem can’t get the money. This conversation took place in Brooke Valley, behind Kay building in the middle of the scheme,” Blackwood said.