Man gets near 30 years for triple murder

A St Catherine man who was among three men who stormed a house in St Catherine three years ago and shot and killed three men was yesterday sentenced to life in prison and ordered to serve 29 years before being eligible for parole.

Oral Jobson, 25, was handed three life sentences and ordered to serve 32 years in prison by Justice Dale Palmer on each count of murder. However, his sentence was reduced after the three years that he spent in custody was deducted.

He was also sentenced to 13 years for illegal possession of firearm. But the judge ordered that the sentences must run concurrently.

The prosecution had asked for a starting point of 45 years while Jobson’s lawyer had asked for a 40-year starting point. The judge, however, started at 20, noting that the convicted killer’s fairly young age played a significant role in the sentence that was delivered.

“Had he been an older person, had he prior convictions let’s just say that minimum period to be served would have been higher,” he said.

Jobson was found guilty of the charges on March 1 following his trial in the Gun Court.

‘Open up, police!’

The prosecution led evidence that the three victims were home with their family members on July 9, 2021, when, hoodlums including Jobson, kicked open their door and shot and killed Taffa William, 42, Rasheed Vassell, 25 and 24-year-old Jason Mighty.

The shooting occurred at 12:20 a.m., shortly after the men and their relatives had finished a game night outside their home and were about to retire to bed.

The family heard sounds at the door before men shouted, ‘Open up, police!’

However, the men picked up that it was a trick.

The hoodlums, however, kicked open the door and shot the three men.

An eyewitness had testified that one of the men pointed a gun at her and her child and that her child’s father intervened and tackled the gunmen. However, she said Jobson went to the gunman’s aid by jumping on her partner before he was overpowered and killed.

Following the incident, only Jobson was arrested and charged. But he has since maintained that he was not involved in the triple murder.

Before the sentence was passed, Jobson’s lawyer, Carlton Collman, asked the judge to consider that his client was still a young man and had no previous convictions.

Collman also asked the judge to accept the community resident’s report that Jobson was a man of good character and that they were surprised to hear of his involvement in the murder, along with the fact that he was gainfully employed at the time of the incident, as mitigating factors.

He further suggested that the judge use a starting point of 40 years, but that his client be credited for time spent in custody.

“Forty years is reasonable and pretty high up the scale, but I put it there because it is three counts of murder. So he will be punished but at the same time, he would have the benefit of some reformation because he would not have gotten the full tariff and he is still a young man,” Collman said.

Prosecutor Sean Martin, on the other hand, recommended a starting point of 45. He said that although Jobson was one of three men, he was just as responsible for their actions.

Martin, while describing the murder as “callous and extremely brazen”, said that a strong message must be sent to the society that persons cannot go about killing off Jamaicans willy-nilly”, as they will be stopped and the court will not turn a blind eye.

“The damage caused to the community by this murder is immeasurable and there is no sentence that could satisfy the injuries caused to the family and friends of the deceased men. This sentence cannot heal the pain inflicted by the defendants and their senseless act but will ensure that they will never have the opportunity of inflicting this anguish on another family,” Martin said.