A Home Circuit Court jury which retired for more than an hour last Thursday, convicted 26-year-old labourer Richard Hamilton of Old Harbour, St. Catherine of the murder of two businessmen. Mrs. Justice Carol Beswick has put off sentencing until this Friday.

Hamilton was convicted of the murder of Justice of the Peace and businessman, David Turner and businessman, Fred Anderson.

They were shot dead at a farm in Longsville Park, Clarendon on March 26, 2002.

Staged a robbery

The Crown, represented by Acting Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Caroline Williamson-Hay, told the court that Hamilton and a group of men went to the farm and staged a robbery. During the robbery the men were shot dead.

Evidence was given at the trial that Hamilton was held shortly after the incident with a firearm. Tests were conducted on the firearm and it was discovered that two bullets which were taken from Turner's body came from that weapon. Hamilton was also pointed out at an identification parade by two eyewitnesses.

Hamilton had also given a cautioned statement to the police in which he said that men had forced him to go to the farm. But in his defence at the trial, Hamilton told the jury that he did not know anything about the double murder. Attorney-at-law Dwight Reece represented Hamilton.