AFTER numerous delays and uncertainty due to witnesses migrating, the murder trial of dancehall entertainer Munga Honorable and his co-accused Sheridan Gordon got underway on Monday.

Munga, whose given name is Damian Rhoden; and Gordon, are on trial in the Home Circuit Court in Kingston for the 2017 murder of Cleveland Smith in Ackee Walk, St Andrew. The deceased was allegedly a cousin of dancehall entertainer Mr Vegas.

The first witness took the stand in the trial on Monday, claiming in court that she saw Munga and Gordon firing bullets into Smith’s body. She claimed that after the shooting, Smith’s body was motionless on the ground beside a bicycle he was riding.

Both Munga and Gordon, who were previously on bail, had their bail revoked leading up to the lunch break on Monday. The Jamaica Observer saw both accused being led out of the courtroom handcuffed to each other. Munga walked very slowly as he was being escorted by two members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force. The men also returned to the courtroom in handcuffs after the lunch break.

At the point of adjournment, defence attorney Christopher Townsend pleaded with the trial judge to restore the men’s bail, explaining that they had been granted bail following Smith’s death in 2017. The request was granted, and bail was extended until Thursday.

According to police reports, it is alleged that Smith was accosted by a group of men, one of whom was reportedly armed with a gun at an entertainment event in the community of Ackee Walk. Smith was shot during an alleged confrontation with the men. He was rushed to the Kingston Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

— Jason Cross