POLICE personnel were forced to rush in and restore order in the jury room at the Supreme Court on Monday after tensions boiled over following a split in their verdict during deliberations in the Andre Ruddock murder trial.

Eventually, after two hours of deliberations, the jury ultimately found Ruddock guilty of murder in the gruesome killing of 39-year-old Taneka Gardner, whose throat was cut at Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries in St James on October 17, 2021, in what was said to be a human sacrifice ritual.

Earlier, after trial judge Justice Leighton Pusey completed his summation, the jurors were sent off to deliberate at 12:46 pm.

At 1:25 pm police who were guarding the jury room indicated to the court registrar that the panel was ready to deliver the verdict. They were readmitted into the courtroom at 1:37 pm
— 51 minutes after retiring
— at which time the registrar asked the lead juror if they had arrived at a unanimous verdict. The lead juror indicated that they had not, pointing out that five among them believed Ruddock was guilty while two jurors weren’t satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that he had killed Gardner.

Police enter Pathways International Restoration Ministries church building the day after a human sacrifice ritual turned deadly in October 2021.

Justice Pusey informed the jurors that they would have to spend at least two hours in deliberations before they could return to the courtroom and deliver the verdict. They were subsequently sent back to the jury room by the judge.

At 1:49 pm the registrar again indicated that the jurors were ready to deliver their verdict, leaving everyone inside the courtroom to believe that they had arrived at a unanimous verdict. However, when they entered the jury box and the lead juror was asked if a unanimous verdict had been reached, she again said ‘No’, prompting the judge to explain to them that if the verdict was not unanimous, they would have to spend two hours or more deliberating. Pusey again sent them back to the jury room.

At approximately 2:09 pm, about five members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force were spotted rushing into the jury room where a heated argument was unfolding.

One juror was heard blurting out: “You want to be the boss of everything!” The police managed to cool the tension, then exited to give the jurors space to arrive at a final decision.

Andre Ruddock’s attorneys Anthony Williams and Venice Brown leaving the Supreme Court building in downtown Kingston on Monday after their client was found guilty of the October 17, 2021 killing of 39-year-old Taneka Gardner whose throat was slashed at Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries in St James. (Photo: Jason Cross)

However, additional police personnel were called in to join the two who were already standing guard outside the door of the jury room.

At 2:52 pm, the jurors returned to the jury box where the lead juror indicated that there was a slight change in the decision, pointing out that six among them were convinced that Ruddock was guilty of killing Gardner and only one was not so convinced.

Judge Pusey then thanked the jurors for their service before dismissing them. The judge ordered that a social enquiry be done on Ruddock, with a report to be produced in the next six weeks.

Ruddock is to return for sentencing on January 22, 2027.

The late Pastor Kevin Smith who was said to have ordered the killing of 39-year-old Taneka Gardner at his Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries in Albion, St James on October 17, 2021.

Lead prosecutor Latoya Bernard told the media that she would not be making any extensive comments on the matter following the verdict. All she offered was that, “The jury has spoken.”

Bernard was supported by prosecutor Carolyn Wright, while Venice Brown supported lead defence attorney Anthony Williams.

After the verdict, Williams breathed a sigh of relief saying, “Boy, the case is finally over.”

“The prosecution’s case essentially is that Mr Ruddock was the one who slashed the throat of Miss Taneka Gardner with a knife on instructions of Mr Kevin Smith. They also alleged that Mr Ruddock gave a caution statement as well as a question and answer document. We contend that, in the first place, it was Mr Kevin Smith who was the person who actually slit or cut Taneka Gardener’s throat.

“We denied it vehemently and that was the defence. We also say that the alleged caution statement and question and answer were, in fact, done under duress. He was forced and intimidated by a policeman in question who held him on the compound of the church. We made very, very heavy waters in this case. It was a very tough case. The jury retired once, it was a 5-2 verdict. They retired twice and in the end they came back with a 6-1 verdict of guilty,” the attorney pointed out.

Williams said the defence was proud of its performance and had given Ruddock the best possible representation in a very challenging case.

“We felt very optimistic of a not guilty verdict, and I say that because of the intensive cross-examination we did of the main witness in particular, as well as the other prosecution witnesses. They were discredited, undermined, and we think we made very good progress. At the end of the day, the jurors are the judges of the fact, and they have concluded that our expectation was not theirs,” Williams said.

Ruddock cut Gardner’s throat on the compound of Pathways International Kingdom Restoration Ministries allegedly on instructions from his now deceased pastor, Kevin Smith. It was disclosed during the trial, through a witness, that Gardner’s name appeared on a piece of paper alongside other names. The witness said that Gardner was called onto the compound of the church and instructed by the pastor to write 999 beside her name.

The pastor then told her that she would have to die because her blood was unclean. He then proceeded to ask her if she believed that he could bring her back to life if her throat was to be cut. Gardner reportedly told the pastor “Yes” in response to his question. Smith then instructed a male member of the church to cut her throat. When that member hesitated, Ruddock took a knife from him and carried out the pastor’s order.

Pastor Smith died on October 25, 2021 in a motor vehicle crash on the Linstead bypass in St Catherine while being transported to Kingston by police to face charges.

Authorities reported that he died along with Constable Orlando Irons, who was among the lawmen transporting the cult pastor.

In May 2024 a coroner’s inquest found that the crash did not occur because of excess speed and as such the policemen, who were placed before the inquest, were credible witnesses.

The inquest found that Smith assaulted the cops who were transporting him, and the judge ruled that his actions were unlawful, dangerous, and caused the death of Constable Irons.