Jamaica news roundup: St James fatal crash, Hanover murder charge and taxi fare rise

A woman working on roadworks in St James was killed Monday afternoon when three vehicles crashed along the Rose Hall main road. Police identified her as 22-year-old Bianca Wallace, a flag woman on a pipeline project. The collision involved a Toyota Hiace public passenger vehicle, a Toyota Rush and a tractor. Firefighters and police attended the scene, where several injured people, including students, were freed from the wreckage. The Island Traffic Authority says 111 people had died in 100 fatal crashes up to June 1.

In Hanover, police charged 36-year-old Audain Jermaine Blake of Clarendon with murder and breaches of the Immigration Act after the fatal stabbing of his spouse, 33-year-old Kadian Bradshaw of Tampa, Florida, and Bulls Bay, Hanover. Investigators said Blake, who holds a United States passport, had been in Jamaica since October 5 and was due to leave on April 3. Police said Bradshaw was stabbed after an altercation at a rented home. Blake was later held after residents reportedly saw him walking toward Lucea with her young child, who was unharmed.

Jamaica recorded 221 murders up to May 31, down 23 per cent from 288 over the same period last year, according to Jamaica Constabulary Force data. St James led police divisions with 30 homicides, while major crimes overall fell by about 20 per cent, including declines in shootings, robberies, break-ins and rape.

St Elizabeth police say Romel Johnson, one of two men found dead near a car mart at Archer Martin, Longwood, near Santa Cruz, was linked to a multi-parish vehicle-theft ring. The other deceased man was businessman and car dealer Melvin Blight. In another St Elizabeth case, Santa Cruz businessman Wilmot French, 50, was charged after police said suspected stolen poker box parts, gaming equipment, a water pump and a generator were found at his Seven Corners home.

Commuters are also paying higher fares after Cabinet approved a 16 per cent rise for public passenger vehicles. Transport Minister Daryl Vaz said the increase began June 2 with eight per cent, while the remaining eight per cent takes effect July 1.