ANTHONY Williams, the attorney representing murder accused Andre Ruddock, was a pleased man on Friday after having made a successful application for his client to be tried by a jury as opposed to a judge alone.

Ruddock was charged with murder in relation to the October 21, 2021 killing of 39-year-old Taneka Gardner in what has been described as a sacrificial ritual at Pathways International Kingdom Ministries in St James.

He was allegedly acting under the instructions of now-deceased pastor of the church Kevin Smith.

A man who was identified as Michael Brown was also found dead at the church when cops arrived.

“The Crown decided that they were not going to oppose my application and so the matter will proceed as trial by jury. The case is set for February 13, 2025. My application was for the matter to be changed from judge alone to judge and jury. The prosecution initially objected because they didn’t want the matter to go far, but I told my client that he is charged for a very serious offence and that he stands a better chance with a jury and not a judge alone,” Williams told the Jamaica Observer on Friday.

“When he goes back to court on the 13th they will set the direction as to the trial date and witnesses, et cetera,” Williams added.

Ruddock reportedly confessed to the killing on a previous occasion.

He and Smith were both arrested but as Smith was being transported to Kingston to be charged, the motor vehicle transporting him crashed.

Smith and police Constable Orlando Irons died in the crash.

Two other cops who were in the vehicle transporting Smith testified in court that prior to the crash Smith issued a warning to them that he was going to die in St Catherine where he was born. The cops reported that Smith was the one who caused the crash by grabbing onto the shoulder of the policeman who was driving the vehicle.