MANCHESTER, Jamaica – A coroner’s inquest is set for September 7 into the death of Mandeville businessman Jason Neil, almost five years after he was suspected to have committed suicide at his Ingleside home.

Attorney Ashleigh Ximines of the law firm Knight Junor and Samuels, who is representing Bunny Neil, Jason’s father, made an application for the inquest in the Coroner’s Court in Mandeville on Thursday morning.

Presiding Judge Monique Harrison granted the application for the inquest to begin on September 7.

“That would be the date that the inquest would be heard. Therefore, witnesses will be called and they would have to give evidence. At court today I made an application on behalf of King’s Counsel KD Knight, who regrettably was not able to make it today,” Ximines told journalists outside the court in James Warehouse plaza.

“For the interested party in the matter being Mr Bunny Neil, the father of the deceased, being permitted to ask questions of any witness during the matter through his attorneys at law,” added Ximines.

Bunny Neil and his daughter Stacy Neil were in court when the application was being made on Thursday.

On December 4, 2018 Jason Neil, 33, was found shot in the bathroom of his home in the upscale community of Ingleside on Julie Drive.

Police reports are that about 7:00 am, his wife heard an explosion and when she went to investigate, Neil was allegedly seen on the floor with his licensed firearm beside him. He was pronounced dead at hospital.

Read: Seventh suspected suicide recorded in Manchester

Neil, a proprietor of the second-generation family-owned business, Neil’s Auto Service, located on Ward Avenue in Mandeville was interred at a family plot in Dunder Hill, St Elizabeth.

When asked about the progress of the matter Ximines said it has been “prolonged”.

“… It has been fraught with much delay regrettably and thankfully based on the court’s posture right now, we are seeing much progress and we are hoping that the inquest could start, not sure if it will end on the 7 th (September), but it definitely should start.. Given all the things that have happened thus far,” said the attorney.

“I cannot speak to all the reasons as to what has caused the delays, but I do know that scheduling of diaries, the availability of witnesses, the availability of jury members. Those issues have caused some delay, the scheduling difficulties. There may be other reasons, but at this point I cannot comment on them… Full disclosure has been made in the matter. We have had previous court disclosure dates and that has been fully complied with right now,” she added.