The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

A NEW court date has been set for a man contesting his conviction and sentence in the Court of Appeal for a failed home invasion that turned deadly.

Rodney Johnson, 22, and his lawyer Keith Seymour appeared before the appellate court yesterday for the scheduled appeal in connection with his conviction for the February 28, 2011 murder of Charles Chrysostome.

However, the Crown noted it was not in a position to respond because it had just received the appellant’s submissions last Friday.

The court adjourned the matter to November 13 for a substantive hearing.

Johnson, in February 2012, was found guilty with James Mombranche, 21, of Windsor Terrace; and Ricardo Brown, 25, of Gilbert Street.

The men had broken into Chrysostome’s Domingo Heights apartment with intent to rob him.

Mombranche, the youngest of the three and a minor at the time of the incident, was found to have fired the shot that killed the phone card vendor.

The three maintained their innocence throughout the trial, but were unanimously convicted by a jury.

While all three men were sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempted armed robbery, the court recommended that Mombranche’s file come up for review after 20 years.

Johnson and Brown were sentenced to 60 years for the murder.