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Roschane Miller, 34, and Carey Josephs, 47, both of St Andrew, walked free from the Gun Court on Monday after being acquitted of charges stemming from a shooting incident on April 22, 2024, in the Burnt Shop district. The two men had been accused of conducting a drive-by shooting that left two men with multiple gunshot wounds as they sat on the roadside that morning.
The prosecution’s case hinged on witness testimony, with one of the two victims claiming he could identify Miller as the driver of the vehicle and Josephs as the person who fired the shots. However, the second victim was unable to identify either of the alleged assailants. This inconsistency in eyewitness accounts would prove critical to the trial’s outcome.
Miller’s legal team, led by attorney Samoi Campbell, presented evidence placing him in Barbican at the time of the shooting, while Josephs’s counsel, Peter Champagnie KC, introduced witness testimony establishing that Josephs was in the Havendale area near a school when the incident occurred. Chief Justice Bryan Sykes presided over the trial.
Ultimately, the court determined that the prosecution had failed to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to acquittals for both men. The ruling underscores the challenges prosecutors face in securing convictions in cases that depend heavily on eyewitness identification.
Jamaica’s Gun Court handles cases involving firearms offences and is part of the island’s broader criminal justice system. Drive-by shootings have been a persistent concern in Jamaica’s crime landscape, particularly in urban areas like Kingston and St Andrew.
This case reflects ongoing challenges within Jamaica’s criminal justice system regarding witness reliability and the evidentiary standards required for conviction in serious crimes. The acquittal highlights tensions between public safety concerns and the legal protections afforded to the accused.
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