KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Chief Justice Bryan Sykes is expected to deliver a ruling later this week on whether the court will proceed with the case against former legislator, Jolyan Silvera, on charges of manslaughter on the grounds of provocation in connection with the death of his wife, Melissa Silvera.
The court heard submissions from both the prosecution and the defence after the former People’s National Party (PNP) parliamentarian, who was initially charged with murder, entered a guilty plea to the lesser offence of manslaughter on Monday at the start of his trial in the Gun Court.
The court proceedings have been closed to the public in accordance with the Gun Court Act, which prohibits media access to specific courtroom sessions.
The 52-year-old businessman had been charged with the murder of his wife, who was found dead at their Stony Hill, St Andrew, home on November 10, 2023.
An autopsy revealed that she had died from gunshot wounds after it had been initially thought she had died from natural causes.
Silvera has been in custody since his arrest and charge on January 18, 2024.
The trial had originally been scheduled for January, but was adjourned after the defence successfully applied to examine critical ballistic evidence that the laboratory had initially refused to provide.
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