A livestock farmer testified Thursday about a chaotic scene at a Kingston church where a woman was killed, describing instructions from the late pastor that preceded the alleged murder.
The trial of Andre Ruddock, charged in connection with the October 17, 2021 death of Taneka Gardner at Pathways International Restoration Ministries in Albion, St James, commenced Thursday in the Home Circuit Court with a seven-member jury empanelled. According to the Jamaica Observer, Ruddock is accused of killing Gardner under instructions from the church’s late pastor, Dr Kevin Smith, in what is believed to have been a sacrificial killing.
Gardner’s father testified during the proceedings, confirming he identified his daughter’s body at a funeral home in Montego Bay and later at an autopsy in Spanish Town. During cross-examination by the defence, he stated he had no knowledge of any romantic relationship between his daughter and Pastor Smith, though the defence attorney appeared to suggest such a relationship had existed.
Corey James, a livestock farmer who had attended the church since 2014, provided detailed testimony about the events of that Sunday. James recounted that Smith had posted on Facebook warning of an incoming flood and instructing congregants to come to the church for safety. When James arrived between 1 and 3 p.m., he found approximately 12 people present, all covered in white sheets as Smith had instructed.
James described Smith telling the group to discard food and other items, claiming they were from “Babylon,” and repeatedly warning that the world was ending due to COVID-19. When a bottle broke on the ground, Smith allegedly told the congregation that those on the opposite side of the bottle would have to die to enter the Kingdom. James testified that Smith then told him his throat would need to be cut, and that church member Kevaughn Plummer approached him with a knife before James was stabbed in the back.
The witness said he fled outside, where he remained while his wife and daughter were still inside the building. From outside, James heard sounds of things being smashed and broken, and testified that Smith produced a list of names—including Taneka Gardner’s—and appointed two men, including Ruddock, as “archangels” and gave them knives with instructions that followed.
Pathways International Restoration Ministries, led by the late Dr Kevin Smith, operated in Albion, St James. Smith had built a following at the church, assigning various roles to members including security and personal assistance. The church became the site of the fatal incident in October 2021.
This case represents a significant moment in Jamaica’s criminal justice system, involving serious allegations of cult-like practices and ritualistic violence within a religious setting. The trial draws public attention to issues of pastoral accountability and the protection of congregants from exploitation and harm within faith communities across the Caribbean.
Written & Edited by Orlyn Edwards. Published by Caribbean Air Force Media.
Category: Community · Island routing: Jamaica