DCP STEWART COMMENDS INVESTIGATORS FOLLOWING CONVICTION IN 2018 PORT ROYAL BUSINESSMAN MURDER
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Richard Stewart, head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) Crime and Security Portfolio, is lauding the investigative team and forensic experts following the 30-year conviction of 26-year-old Shamar Clarke for the 2018 murder of businessman Jean-Pierre Rhone.
The conviction resulted from collaboration between the Criminal Investigations Branch and the Communication Forensics and Cybercrime Division.
In October 2018, businessman Jean-Pierre Rhone was reported missing, which led to an investigation into his disappearance. On Friday, October 19, 2018, at about 12:30 p.m., relatives went in search of Rhone and discovered the body of a man in an abandoned building in Port Royal, Kingston 1. On Saturday, October 20, 2018, Clarke was taken into custody and with the overwhelming evidence presented by the investigators, he confessed to the murder. A post-mortem examination on October 27, 2028, confirmed the body to be that of Jean-Pierre Rhone; his cause of death was strangulation.
Clarke was subsequently charged with murder, preventing the lawful burial of a corpse, and simple larceny.
DCP Stewart commended the team and the analytical work of Detective Corporal Anneice Witter-Milligan of the Communication Forensics and Cybercrime Division, which was crucial during the trial in establishing a clear link between the two men and secured the guilty verdict.
“This conviction highlights the precision of modern policing and the evolving capabilities of the JCF”, said DCP Richard Stewart. “The professionalism and diligence displayed by Detective Corporal Witter-Milligan and other members of the team shows that forensics and meticulous investigation will secure justice for families impacted by violent crimes.”
Clarke was found guilty of murder, preventing the lawful burial of a corpse, and simple larceny. He was sentenced to 30 years for murder, four years and 11 months for simple larceny, and two years for preventing the lawful burial of a corpse. His sentence is to run concurrently.
