A cook, who is alleged to have slashed the throat of his ex-lover in Retreat, Brown’s Town, St Ann has been sent to prison for 17 years.
Liesha Matthews, who is from Seaforth, St. Thomas was before the courts for the murder, three years ago, of his ex-lover, 21-year-old Shana Gay Williamson, a shop keeper of Philadelphia and Retreat, St Ann.
Allegations are that shortly after 1 p.m. on Sunday, August 2, 2015, Shana Gay Williamson was at a bar she operated in Retreat, near Brown’s Town, when Matthews came there and started to accuse her of several things.
Reports are that Matthews threatened to set Williamson ablaze and that he threw gasoline on her. He, however, made a failed attempt to strike a match.
Ms. Williamson ran from the bar to a neighbour’s yard and was chased and eventually caught by Matthews who cut her throat.
The couple had resided together in Philadelphia near Brown’s Town, but Williamson ended the relationship, citing repeated physical abuse. They had a child together.
Matthews was on the run for six days after the killing. He was arrested on Saturday, August 8, 2015 in Olympic Garden Kingston.
Matthews was charged by the police and made his first court appearance in the St. Ann’s Bay Resident Magistrate Court (now Parish Court) on Thursday, August 13, 2015.
The first application for bail was made in January 2016 but that was denied as were several other applications. At a hearing in the St Ann Circuit court in October last year, High Court Judge Dale Palmer denied a bail application made by attorney Linton Gordon on behalf of Matthews. Justice Palmer said Matthews was deemed to be a flight risk.
A trial date of May 9, 2018 was subsequently set in the case. Matthews was remanded into custody until that time.
On May 9, Matthews pleaded guilty.
His attorneys Linton Gordon and Peter McHugh, sought a sentencing indicator from the judge, with the prosecutor present. This is allowed under the Plea Bargain provisions. The attorneys discussed, with the accused, the indication of what the sentence might be and he agreed standing by his guilty plea.
Sentencing was set for May 25 in court presided over by Justice Shelly Williams. The judge took into account the guilty plea, the social enquiry report and the time Matthews had been in custody, and sentenced him to 17 years at hard labour. There was no order as to when Matthews could be admitted to parole.
