St. James murder accused awaits lawyer as Jamaica faces court, weather and road updates

A St. James man charged with murdering his American wife made his first court appearance on Wednesday without a lawyer present or visible family backing. Dane Watson, 31, who was charged on May 20, told the court relatives had spoken with an attorney, but no family members attended and the lawyer’s name was not on the prosecution file. The case concerns 35-year-old New York resident Melissa, who was in Jamaica for her birthday, taken to Cornwall Regional Hospital with multiple injuries on April 29, and later pronounced dead. Police believe Watson left her at the hospital, later went to Gayle in St. Mary, and surrendered through relatives and the Gayle police. Judge Natasha Fairclough Hilton ordered a psychiatric evaluation after the investigator raised concerns about his behaviour. Watson also told the court he had previously suffered a collapsed lung and sometimes experiences an irregular heartbeat and breathing difficulty.

In downtown Kingston, two technicians were burned after an explosion at a KFC restaurant earlier Wednesday. Operations manager Christopher Powell said the company secured the location, supported the emergency response and was focusing on the injured workers, with no life-threatening injuries reported based on the information then available.

At the murder trial of six policemen, defence lawyers questioned a forensic DNA analyst about an unmatched male sample said to have come from a blue Mitsubishi Outlander linked to the January 12, 2013 shooting deaths of Matthew Lee, Joseph Dyer and Demarcus Allen near Acadia Drive and Evans Avenue in Barbican, St. Andrew. On trial are Sergeant Simroy Mott, Corporal Donavan Fullerton and constables Andrew Smith, Sheldon Richards, O’Randy Rose and Richard Lynch. Fullerton also faces a false-statement charge tied to INDECOM. The analyst said the sample did not generate a profile, while other samples matched the three deceased. She said the lab used 13 DNA markers in 2013, before standards moved to 20 markers in 2017.

The Meteorological Service of Jamaica said a low-level jet stream over the central Caribbean has been producing strong winds since Tuesday, especially across southern parishes and marine areas. Rough seas and gusts are expected through Saturday, with fishers and small-craft operators urged to use extreme caution.

In South Trelawny, residents say road breakaways from Hurricane Melissa last October, including sections between Albert Town and Lamine, remain unrepaired as the new hurricane season approaches. Hugh Dickson, Ronald Williams and Lamine councillor Winston Smith warned that narrowing roadways, hidden gullies and the absence of repair funds have left motorists exposed.