Defence attorney Diane Jobson, who’s representing murder accused Omar Collymore, has urged the seven member jury not to be swayed by the circumstantial evidence submitted by the Crown.
Collymore is on trial for the murder of his wife, businesswoman Simone Campbell Collymore and her taxi driver, Winston Walters.
Mrs. Campbell Collymore and Walters were shot and killed on Stanley Terrace in Red Hills, St. Andrew on January 2, 2018.
In her closing arguments on Tuesday at the Supreme Court, Jobson sought to discredit the Crown’s key witness, convicted murderer Wade Blackwood.
Robian Williams reports.
Wade Blackwood confessed to being one of two shooters who killed Simone Campbell Collymore and her taxi driver, Winston Walters.
Blackwood pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of illegal possession of firearm.
In March 2021, he was handed two life sentences for the murders and eight-and-a-half years for the firearm. At that time, his eligibility for parole was after serving 35-years.
Since agreeing to testify in the matter, Blackwood was resentenced to life with eligibility for parole after serving 20-years.
Omar Collymore’s attorney Diane Jobson, urged the jury not to trust Blackwood.
She said, “The evidence before the court has taken the jury down a garden path, distracting them. For such a reduction in prison sentence a man would tell lie even pon him mother and that is what he did. Told lies”
Ms. Jobson labelled Blackwood as an unreliable witness.
She added that Collymore was not among the persons at the crime scene when his wife was shot and killed.
She said, “Look at all the evidence, clearly without the drama and enthusiasm from the Crown. Do not be distracted by crumbs of circumstantial evidence…unreliable bit of evidence.”
Ms. Jobson further submitted that the crown’s dependency on cell site information, showing constant communication between Collymore and his co-defendant Michael Adams is not reliable.
She argued, “The two phone providers don’t add up to make one due to their poor service. How many times you have to call one number, you call it all eight times before you get through.”
She attacked the claim from the prosecution that Collymore killed his wife in order to benefit from her $100 million insurance policy.
She said based on evidence from the insurance company, Omar Collymore was worth an estimated $150 million. According to her, Collymore’s annual earnings amounted to $6 million.
Ms. Jobson questioned, “A person who is worth $150 million is going to kill his wife for $100 million?”
Meanwhile, Ms. Jobson submitted that her client didn’t hide the fact that he was having an extramarital affair. She added that having an affair doesn’t amount to one being a killer.
She said, “Are we going to condemn him because of his infidelity? If you’re a ‘gyalis’ that don’t mean you’re a murderer.
“If that was the case three-quarter of Jamaican men would be criminals. Having more than one woman doesn’t equate to being a killer.”
Collymore is charged jointly with three others, Adams, Dewayne Pink and Shaquile Edwards.
Ms. Jobson is expected to continue her closing arguments when the trial resumes on Wednesday morning at 10.
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