KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Police Constable Noel Maitland was on Thursday afternoon found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, social media influencer Donna-Lee Donaldson.
The verdict was returned by the seven-member jury on Thursday afternoon at the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston.
The jury deliberated for just under four hours before returning the verdict. Justice Leighton Pusey presided over the trial, which lasted just over eight months. Maitland was also charged with preventing the lawful burial of a corpse.
Donaldson went missing on July 11, 2022, and her body was never recovered.
During the trial, the prosecution relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, arguing that it formed an unbroken chain pointing to Maitland as the only person who could have caused Donaldson’s death.
The Crown counsel also highlighted blood evidence recovered from Maitland’s Corporate Area apartment, the removal and disposal of furniture, and phone records tracking Maitland’s movements and communications after Donaldson’s disappearance.
Prosecutors also pointed to what they described as Maitland’s calculated behaviour in the days following Donaldson’s disappearance, including attempts to mislead investigators and members of her family.
The defence, however, maintained that the case was based on speculation and urged the jury to reject what it described as unreliable and incomplete evidence.
Maitland, in an unsworn statement from the dock, denied killing Donaldson, telling the court that he loved her and had no reason to harm her. He will be sentenced on March 13.
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