MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica — Ronaldo Ricketts, the man accused of killing several homeless people in Montego Bay, between July and August 2023, is to have a committal hearing in the St James Parish Court on May 13.

The matter was set for a committal hearing on Monday to determine whether Ricketts’s case would be tried in the St James Circuit Court, however, the hearing could not proceed as he was not brought to court.

The court was informed that the defendant had undergone a psychiatric evaluation and was diagnosed with schizophrenia.   It was also noted that Ricketts is currently on specific medications for his condition and requires close monitoring.

However, despite his diagnosis, the report confirmed that he was mentally competent to plead.

The matter was subsequently set for a committal hearing on May 13, when Ricketts will be brought before the court.

Ricketts was arrested by the police on August 30, 2023, in relation to the charge of abduction, following allegations that he picked up the complainant along Humber Avenue in downtown Montego Bay and drove her to Melville Hall Avenue before pulling a knife and demanding sex from her.

READ: Man in custody for murder of homeless people in St Ann

The woman managed to escape from the car and screamed for help, getting the attention of nearby police officers who were on patrol at the time.

Ricketts was subsequently detained and taken into custody by the officers.

It is further alleged that while he was in custody for that incident, Ricketts confessed to the killings of four homeless people in sections of Montego Bay between July 28 and August 20 last year. It is understood that all the victims were stabbed with a sharp instrument while they were sleeping.