In the eyes of bereaved family members and friends of Melissa Silvera, the assertion that her voice somehow provoked the violence that ended her life is an insult layered upon grief.

Gathering at the entrance of Emancipation Park in St Andrew on Tuesday evening, they chanted loudly, “Provocation is no justification,” insisting that her death must be recognised as murder.

“It doesn’t matter what they want to call it; manslaughter? We call it murder, because he did it, but not only that, he left her to die. He killed her twice. He could have taken her to the hospital but he didn’t, he left her to die. That is cruel and complete murder,” said an angry Ella Davis, aunt of the deceased.

Davis, who stood amid placards that read “Mouth versus Gun”, and “Justice for Melissa”, told the Jamaica Observer that she could not understand the actions of Jolyan Silvera, husband of the deceased.

The former People’s National Party Member of Parliament for St Mary Western was initially facing a murder charge, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter after two years of maintaining his innocence. He cited provocation by his wife as among the reasons he shot her.

According to a statement by the director of public prosecutions (DPP), Melissa Silvera was killed during an argument at the family home in St Andrew in November 2023.

On Tuesday, Davis recounted her niece’s funeral, highlighting that the former legislator wept along with family while harbouring a guilty conscience. She declared that his actions were calculated and was deserving of a strong penalty under the law.

“It is beyond understanding that somebody could be so callous. I was there, he went up and had communion and that, to me, is just unreal and unbelievable. What does that tell you about that person? He’s a beast. That’s what he is. Accepting anything under 25 years would be a travesty,” said Davis.

For Tamara Morgan, who identified herself as the best friend of the deceased, Tuesday’s protest was a mission to speak on the slain woman’s behalf. She firmly rejected Silvera’s plea of manslaughter under the defence of provocation, noting that a woman’s words, under no circumstance, should warrant a retaliatory, silencing bullet.

“It cannot be that when, as women, we speak out a gun is used to silence us. So we’re saying that we have the right to speak, and in Melissa’s case what is being said is that her mouth caused her husband to use a gun and silence her,” she said.

Hoping for justice to prevail on Friday when Silvera is scheduled to be sentenced, Morgan noted that although the end result would not revive her best friend, she hoped that it would set a strong precedent against acts of femicide, saving other families from undergoing similar hurt and grief.

“We’re finally hearing the truth coming out about how she died. At the end of the day we know that all of this won’t bring her back, which personally, at the end of this, we wish we would be able to bring her back, but that’s not possible. But we’re waiting on Friday to hear what justice will be served on her behalf,” said Morgan.

Former broadcaster Elaine Wint was also among those who rejected Silvera’s defence of provocation during the protest on Tuesday, saying that Jamaica has an unfortunate subculture of gender-based violence and calling for greater awareness on the issue.

“We’re answering the comment that was made about provocation and we’re saying provocation is no reason, and provocation is no excuse because from time to time we’re all provoked, but we can’t kill each other because of provocation. So we’re looking for more education, more understanding in the community, but also more understanding that this is a really major issue in national life in Jamaica,” said Wint.

Her claims are not unfounded as a 2023 report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) showed that Jamaica had a high prevalence of domestic violence with nearly one in three women (28 per cent) experiencing physical or sexual violence in her lifetime.

Reverend Altano Morgan, friend of the deceased and husband to her best friend Tamara Morgan, also had strong words to offer to the protesters. He denounced Silvera’s acts against his wife, and called for an end to violence against women and children.

“That is not love. Love does not hurt, it does not intimidate, it does not control. Love does not kill. When are we going to stand up as a nation and say enough is enough? If he hits you, he can kill you. We say today, stop the violence against each other. Stop the violence against our children, stop the violence against our women, and we are pushing back right now, and we say, no more!” he said.

Ella Davis (left), aunt of Melissa Silvera, hugs her cousin Norma Lewis during Tuesday’s protest against Silvera’s killing at Emancipation Park in New Kingston.