The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK 

Tribune Freeport Reporter 

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net 

WHEN a man diagnosed with schizophrenia and cognitive disorders after a teenage manslaughter conviction returned to the Supreme Court yesterday for a re-sentencing hearing, the country’s limited psychiatric facilities and lack of effective rehabilitation options weighed on the judge who will determine his fate.

Jerome Daniel Francois, 30, was just 16 years old when the offence occurred and had been diagnosed with a mental and cognitive disorder. He confessed to police that he killed 61-year-old Manes Saint-Ilien at Lover’s Beach in Hepburn Town, Eight Mile Rock, and later buried the victim in a shallow grave on the beach.

According to reports, Saint-Ilien was fishing on the beach when Francois approached him and asked for a dollar. After the elderly man said he didn’t have any money, Francois asked for a fish. When Saint-Ilien refused, Francois struck him in the head with a rock, fatally wounding him.

The following day, Francois went to the Eight Mile Rock Police Station and confessed to the crime. At the start of his murder trial in September 2010, he pleaded guilty to manslaughter by provocation. Justice Hartman Longley sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Francois has spent 16 years in prison. He is represented at the re-sentencing hearing by attorney Kendal Knowles, while Sean Smith appeared on behalf of the Crown. The hearing is before Justice Andrew Forbes.

Psychiatrist John Dillet testified virtually, providing his professional opinion to the court after reviewing psychiatric reports prepared from 2008 to 2024. He indicated that Francois suffers from schizophrenia and cognitive deficiencies.

Dr Fernander’s February 29, 2008, report stated that Francois, then 17 years old, was found to have mild mental retardation and cognitive deficiencies following an evaluation conducted on February 13, 2008.

Francois was also evaluated by Dr Kirk Christie in 2010, Dr Devania Knowles, and most recently by Dr Petra Forbes in 2024. Dr Dillet highlighted that Dr Christie’s July 28, 2010, report diagnosed Francois with schizoaffective disorder — a combination of schizophrenia and mood disorder—and noted he had been prescribed medication. Dr Forbes’ 2024 report indicated that Francois’s condition has remained stable while in custody.

Laish Boyd Jr, a probation officer with the Department of Rehabilitative Welfare Services in Freeport, presented a probation report to the court.

Mr Boyd reported that Francois has been incarcerated for 16 years and 10 months in maximum security, sharing a cell with three other inmates. According a previous probation report, Francois attended the Beacon School, which caters to children with mental challenges, but left at age 13 to seek employment. Unable to find work, he was later referred to the Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic after exhibiting suicidal and homicidal behaviors. He was also known to kill cats and dogs in the community he lived.

Francois, the oldest of five siblings, was admitted to Rand Memorial Hospital several times and diagnosed with conduct disorder. He grew up in a very low-income community and was a psychiatric patient at the time of the offense.

The probation report did not include interviews with Francois’ immediate family or the family of the deceased. Boyd explained that he was unable to locate them.

Senior Prison Officer Roderick Grant noted that Francois did not participate in rehabilitative programs while in prison and expressed the belief that Francois should be placed in a psychiatric facility. However, he also noted that Francois was never aggressive toward officers or cellmates.

Justice Forbes expressed concern about Francois’s ability to survive and adapt in today’s digital society, based on the psychiatric reports, that he had acquired no skill set while in prison, and had limited education, low IQ, and minimal intellectual ability.

“The world has passed him by,” the judge said.

Attorney Kendal Knowles stated that his client was very young at the time of the offense and came from a low-income background. He noted that Francois had displayed generally good behavior while in prison.

Justice Forbes acknowledged the lack of resources, noting that the court has only two options: continued incarceration or release. He highlighted the absence of psychiatric facilities, halfway houses, or reform programs to bridge the gap between prison and society.

“This is a societal/social problem,” the judge remarked.

The judge will deliver his decision on Tuesday, February 4.