Timeline | Long delayed Keith Clarke murder trial
Published:Tuesday | February 18, 2020 | 12:00 AM
The Constitutional Court will this morning rule on the legality of the certificates of immunity granted to three soldiers charged with the 2010 murder of businessman Keith Clarke.
Protracted delays in the matter have spanned almost eight years.
READ: Ruling today on immunity certificates in Keith Clarke case
Clarke's widow Claudette supported by the Independent Commission of Investigation has challenged the legality of the certificates.
It's part of the reason the trial of the accused Corporal Odel Buckley, Lance Corporal Greg Tinglin and Private Arnold Henry has been delayed.
Here's the timeline of how the matter has unfolded:
May 27, 2010 - Keith Clarke shot 21 times and dies inside his Kirkland Close, St Andrew home.
July 30, 2012 - Soldiers charged for Clarke’s murder.
October 13, 2013 - Murder trial of the three soldiers postponed until March 9, 2015, due to the Chikungunya illness on the part of one of the defence lawyers.
March 9, 2015 - Trial rescheduled for October 12, 2015 after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) acceded to a request from attorneys for the soldiers that the trial be delayed pending the completion of the West Kingston Commission of Enquiry.
October 12, 2015 - Trial rescheduled to February 8, 2016, pending the completion of the West Kingston Commission of Enquiry.
February 22, 2016 - National Security Minister Peter Bunting signs and issues immunity certificates to Corporal Odel Buckley, Lance Corporal Greg Tinglin and Private Arnold Henry
September 19, 2016 - Trial pushed back to February 6, 2017.
September 2017 - Trial again delayed, this time because of the unavailability of Dr Dinesh Rao, the former consultant pathologist to the Ministry of National Security.
April 2018 - Trial of soldiers which was to begin, halted due to the presentation of certificates of immunity to court.
November 2019 - Constitutional Court hears arguments in the challenge to the legality of the certificates of immunity brought by widow Claudette Clarke.
February 18, 2020 - Constitutional Court to rule on constitutionality of the certificates of immunity.
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