ST JAMES, Jamaica — Ronaldo Ricketts, who is accused of murdering multiple homeless people in Montego Bay between July and August of last year, has a case to answer.

A court ruling was made on Monday.

Trial judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton believes that the evidence presented before the St James Parish Court is compelling enough to warrant transferring the case to the High Court.

On the last mention date, the court was informed that the defendant had undergone psychiatric evaluation and was diagnosed with schizophrenia.   However, despite his diagnosis, the report confirmed that he was fit to plead.

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Following the judge’s ruling on Monday, she transferred the case to the St James Circuit Court for mention on September 30 and remanded Ricketts in police custody. He is being represented by attorney-at-law Henry McCurdy.

Ricketts was arrested by the police on August 30, 2023 in relation to the charge of abduction. It is alleged 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.

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

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

It is further alleged that while he was in custody for that incident, Ricketts confessed to killing 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.

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