American mom stabbed to death, son in custody
Published:Tuesday | October 24, 2023 | 12:11 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
The St Andrew South Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) is probing yesterday’s stabbing death of a female United States (US) citizen, allegedly at the hands of her own son.
The deceased woman has since been identified as 54-year-old Marvel Johnson.
Reports are that, about 7:20 a.m., residents on Wavell Avenue in Kingston 11 heard a loud commotion and screams for help.
The police were summoned to the location where they saw Johnson in a pool of blood.
She was taken by the lawmen to the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) where she was pronounced dead.
The Gleaner understands that the domestic dispute occurred at the home of a now deceased member of the popular British Crew.
The prime suspect, who according to investigators is the child of the victim, is in the custody of the police.
He was picked up at the crime scene.
The Gleaner understands that the accused was not cooperating with the police.
They believe the man, who some residents say is of unsound mind, was deported to Jamaica.
“When di police move her, she nuh look like she was alive but doctors had to pronounce her ... . The yute is her son and him a deportee,” a resident told The Gleaner.
The police said the man in custody refused to answer initially when asked about his relation to the woman.
The Corporate Communications Unit (CCU) of the Jamaica Constabulary Force confirmed reports of the incident.
The CCU, said Johnson was stabbed multiple times, allegedly by her son.
Johnson is the second American woman to be murdered in Jamaica in the past month.
On September 23, Shirnet Hammond was killed while travelling in a taxi from a funeral at Meadowrest.
It’s reported that a gunman opened fire at the vehicle in the Red Pond area, targeting Hammond who suffered multiple gunshot wounds to her head and upper body.
Last week, detectives charged Caret Rutherford, who they say is a hitman, with her murder.
He is also under investigation for other murders, including that of a Chinese national.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness last week, during a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) meeting in North Central Clarendon, said plans were under way for a policy shift to counter domestic and intimate partner violence, which he suggests is playing a rapidly increasing role in fuelling major crime.
Holness said his Government was also concerned about the frequency with which these murders are being committed, noting that the leading profile of murders in the country is changing from gang-related to domestic violence-related.
Holness said the Government would begin reviewing legislation to make aspects of reporting on domestic violence mandatory.
The St Andrew South police Division, where the latest homicide involving an American occurred, has recorded a 14 per cent reduction in murders year-on- year.
Up to September 30, the division, which led Jamaica in murders for two consecutive years – 2020 and 2021, recorded 95 murders, 16 fewer than the corresponding year, for the period under review.
Up to September 30, a total of 1,038 murders were committed nationally.