The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

THE sentencing of a couple convicted of having a role in killing businessman Kurt McCartney did not proceed yesterday due to a lawyer’s absence.

Thorne Edwards and Lyndera Curry made their third post-conviction appearance before Senior Justice Stephen Isaacs in the Supreme Court on respective charges of murder and manslaughter stemming from the accosting and fatal shooting of McCartney on October 24, 2013 in Gambier.

At the initial sentence hearing set for February 29, it was revealed that the psychiatric reports, requested by the lawyers for Edwards and Curry, were outstanding, resulting in an adjournment.

This was also the case when the matter was called before the judge at the second scheduled hearing on April 11, when the judge suggested that the proceedings should begin with the presentation of the probation reports prepared by the Department of Rehabilitative Welfare Services.

However, Geoffrey Farquharson and Sonia Timothy, respective lawyers for Edwards and Curry, said they would prefer to have seen the psychiatric reports before putting any questions to a probation officer concerning the findings.

Mr Farquharson was absent from yesterday’s hearing, however.

It was revealed that Edwards’ attorney had requested a short adjournment of the matter by 24 hours.

Though the request conflicted with prior arrangements of the probation officer who prepared a report for Edwards, the request was granted.

“He took on the case he should be here,” Senior Justice Isaacs commented.

Edwards and Curry, along with Okell Farrington and Sumya Ingraham, were on trial for nearly two weeks for McCartney’s armed robbery and murder.

On December 14, a jury of 11 women and one man took three hours to return verdicts for each of the accused persons after they had been excused to deliberate on the evidence.

Edwards was unanimously convicted of murder and was found guilty of armed robbery on a majority verdict of 9-3. Curry was acquitted of murder but found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter by 11-1. The same count was returned on her conviction for armed robbery.

Both Farrington and Ingraham were acquitted of murder, manslaughter and armed robbery. Businessman and community activist Terry Delancy, who had been accused of being an accessory to the murder after the fact, was acquitted of the charge following the close of the prosecution’s case for legal reasons.

It was alleged that Edwards shot McCartney in the face after he became involved in an argument between Curry and the victim. The prosecution maintained that McCartney was crushed when Farrington, Ingraham and Curry allegedly rolled over his body as they fled the scene in the victim’s Hummer. It was alleged that Edwards ran away after the shooting.

At trial, the jury heard from anonymous witness “AB” who said the pharmacist was arguing with one of two women he was walking with, Curry and Ingraham, and that one of the women signalled to a man who approached and shoved McCartney before shooting him.

However, a 12-year-old witness told the jury that there was a single assailant who startled McCartney as he was trying to get into his vehicle, shot him in the head and then sped off in the victim’s car after rolling over him.

Ingraham, Curry, Edwards and Farrington were respectively represented by Romona Farquharson-Seymour, Ms Timothy, Terrel Butler and Philip Hilton at trial. Delancy was represented by Ian Cargill.

Roger Thompson prosecuted the case.