A St Ann man accusing of cutting a baby’s throat and killing him in Lewis district near Priory in St. Ann, has been declared fit, by a psychiatrist, to stand trial. Devon Jarrett is charged for the murder of two-year-old Jahiem Cooper, also called Jay and the wounding of another man both of Lewis district in St. Ann. Jarrett was charged in August and placed before the St. Ann’s Bay resident magistrates court with police listing him as being of unsound mind. However, residents of the area had been insisting that Jarrett was not insane and was of sound mind when he carried out the act in August. A psychiatric evaluation done on Jarrett and presented to the court in September described him as being unfit to stand trial. Resident magistrate Andrea Thomas requested, in September, that a further psychiatric evaluation be done on Jarrett. His matter was put off for November 18, when he appeared in court in September, allowing enough time for a second psychiatric evaluation to be done.
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When Jarrett appeared before RM Thomas in the St. Ann’s Bay RM court on Tuesday, November 18, a new psychiatric evaluation report said the accused man was now well enough to stand trial. “The doctor say you are okay,” RM Thomas told the accused who appeared in court without legal representation and is to be assigned a lawyer through the Legal Aid system. He was remanded into custody until December 5 when his case will again be mentioned. The court was told that the case file was incomplete as there were still documents including the medical report of a man who was reportedly wounded by Jarrett, the scene of crime report and statements which are still outstanding.
Allegations against Jarrett are that on August 21, he was involved in a dispute with another man in Lewis district during which he allegedly used a knife to cut the man on his throat. Residents who became aware of the incident reportedly chased Jarrett who ran into a nearby yard. Young Jahiem was in the yard playing with another child when Jarrett allegedly grabbed Jahiem and used a knife to slash his throat. The child was pronounced dead at hospital and Jarrett arrested and charged. When Jarrett appeared in court in September, he had told RM Thomas that he was seeing ghosts and that it was people who told him to do what he did.
