Linstead family wants death penalty for murder convict

Linstead family wants death penalty for murder convict

June 4, 2018 0 By scott

One of four families that lost loved-ones during a gun attack roughly four years ago in the Linstead area of St Catherine wants the man convicted of the murders to be put to death.

Simeon Miller, a resident of Linstead, will be sentenced on July 6.

A seven-member jury deliberated for some 40 minutes in the Kingston-based Gun Court on Friday, May 25, before it announced the unanimous guilty verdict.

Miller, 34, is among three gunmen who murdered four people at Mickelton in Linstead on the night of August 20, 2014.

Those killed are Garfield Simpson who was in his 30s, 27-year-old Recodel Jackson, 43-year-old Dean Pratt, and 20-year-old Shanna-Kay Simpson.

A spokesperson for one of the bereaved families said a life sentence is expected if the death penalty is not handed down.

“The family prefers a death sentence,” said the spokesperson who asked that the family not be identified due to fear. “We hope the murderer, at least, gets life imprisonment.”

The spokesperson further stated that, when members of the family saw Miller during the trial, he did not show any sign of remorse.

“He was well dressed and looked pretty carefree,” the family spokesperson claimed.

This is a photo of convicted murderer Simeon Miller retrieved from his Facebook page.

The court heard that, on the night of the shootings, three gunmen dressed in police uniform and army fatigue shot and killed the two Simpsons who were standing along the roadway in the community of Mickelton.

The gunmen then went to a shop in the area and tried to carry out a robbery. Jackson was the only one murdered inside the establishment.

The gunmen later shot and killed Pratt, who happened upon the scene of the robbery while driving his motorcar home.

One of the shop customers eventually identified Miller as one of the gunmen, adding that Miller – unlike the other criminals – was not wearing a mask when the crimes were being perpetrated.

Miller was charged the following month.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for one of the families said it is understood that the second suspect was shot dead in Linstead, while the third is on the run overseas.


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