St James woman charged with her child’s murder gets a new court date
Published:Monday | September 30, 2024 | 12:05 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The much-anticipated committal hearing for Shamoya Green, the St James woman facing a murder charge for allegedly throwing her baby daughter off a rooftop to her death last December, will proceed on September 30 without an assessor’s document, which is a document to determine if a child witness can testify.
Presiding parish judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton gave the new mention date in the St James Parish Court last Thursday, after the prosecution revealed that the child witness’ assessment is not yet complete. The child is said to be the sister of five-month-old Destiny Brown, the child Green is accused of killing.
“The bundles should have been served today [Thursday] so we could have the hearing. Unfortunately, one of the main witnesses that the Crown intends to rely on has started her assessment and evaluation as to whether or not she is ready to give evidence in this matter, and unfortunately that assessment has not been completed, and she is a child of tender years,” said Fairclough-Hylton.
Green’s lawyer, Jillian Haughton, expressed doubt about whether the hearing, which was expected to take place over the Zoom platform to transfer the case to the St James Circuit Court, would have been able to start on Thursday. The hearing was to take place on Zoom to facilitate Green, who was not present in court and could not be transported from custody in Kingston due to medical issues, which include seizures and mental instability.
“We would not be able to do the Zoom meeting because there were no preparations made,” Haughton told Fairclough-Hylton.
“The preparations will be made, as it is not a situation that we cannot log on. We can log on, but it was for the fact that the assessment was not done and the clerk of the court did not want to give you an incomplete bundle, hence the reason why he did not serve it on you as yet,” said Fairclough-Hylton.
The document bundles were eventually provided without the assessor’s report, and the committal hearing was rescheduled for September 30. Once the hearing takes place, a fitness to plea hearing will be held in the St James Circuit Court to determine whether Green is fit to stand trial.
According to the allegations against Green, on December 6, 2023, about 5:35 p.m., she was at home with her common-law husband and other family members when she tried to have a conversation with the man about their relationship, but he put her off.
Green reportedly became enraged and left the room, taking baby Destiny with her. She then took the child to the roof of the third floor of the family’s house and threw her on to the concrete pit in the yard.
The police were alerted and Destiny was taken to the hospital, where she died while being treated.