By LAMECH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
ljohnson@tribunemedia.net
A MAN was convicted of murder by a Supreme Court jury yesterday afternoon.
Jason Simmons, 21, stood trial before Justice Bernard Turner for more than three weeks for the April 27, 2014 fatal shooting of Neko Lloyd at Gibbs Corner.
Shortly after midnight on the day in question, Lloyd was sitting on a bench near a woman friend's home when a gunman approached him and opened fire.
Lloyd was hit multiple times in the upper body as well as in his lower extremities.
While the gunman fled on foot, Lloyd ran to the front of his friend's home where he collapsed. A short time later, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Crown's key witness, who gave evidence through live television-link to ensure her safety, told a Supreme Court jury the accused was one of three to four men who ran into a yard moments after about seven shots rang out in the area.
The witness claimed she was sitting on the porch with her boyfriend at the time, and said she could clearly see the men, who were about five to ten feet away. She said due to the set-up of the porch, she was able to see Simmons, but he could not see her.
She also claimed that Simmons was carrying a small gun. She said she witnessed Simmons trying to stuff the gun into his waist to conceal it shortly after he and the other men ran into the yard.
However, the witness later said she did not see Simmons shoot and kill anyone with this gun at the time of the incident in question.
Before excusing the jury at 2.30pm to deliberate on the evidence, the judge cautioned the 12-member panel concerning circumstantial evidence presented by the Crown.
The panel took a little more than two hours to deliberate on the evidence and returned a unanimous guilty verdict.
Simmons is scheduled to return to the Supreme Court on September 14 for sentencing.
He was represented by attorney Moses Bain while Darell Taylor prosecuted the case.
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