KINGSTON, Jamaica — Dancehall entertainer Munga Honorable, real name Damian Rhoden and his co-accused Sheridan Gordon were freed on Friday after the Crown’s murder case against them collapsed following approximately one week of trial proceedings in the Home Circuit Court.
Defence attorney Christopher Townsend made the announcement outside the Supreme Court on Friday, revealing that he and King’s Counsel Peter Champagnie successfully challenged the prosecution’s key witness on issues relating to identification evidence.
According to Townsend, the defence’s cross-examination exposed significant weaknesses in the prosecution’s key witness, ultimately leading to the collapse of the Crown’s case.
“I am glad to announce that we were successful in the defence of Munga Honorable and Mad Rhymes, who were charged with murder. It has been nine years, but Mr Champagnie and myself were able to cross-examine the Crown’s witness to the point where the credibility fell down significantly, and therefore the prosecution threw down the towel,” Townsend said.
He added, “The main issue was identification, and we were able to demonstrate that the evidence concerning identification was extremely poor. As a result, we were able to hand these gentlemen their lives back.”
Munga, who stood alongside his attorneys following the ruling, summed up his emotions in a single word: “Free.”
The entertainer then uttered the phrase, “A wah now,” before leaving outside the courthouse.
The trial had finally commenced on Monday June 8, after years of delays and uncertainty, largely due to witnesses migrating overseas and other procedural setbacks.
Munga Honorable, whose given name is Damian Rhoden, and Gordon had been on trial for the 2017 murder of Cleveland Smith in Ackee Walk, St Andrew. Smith was reportedly a cousin of dancehall entertainer Mr Vegas.
During the opening days of the trial, the prosecution’s first witness testified that she allegedly saw both men firing shots at Smith. The witness claimed that after the shooting, Smith lay motionless beside a bicycle he had been riding.
The proceedings took a dramatic turn on Monday when both accused men, who had previously been on bail, had their bail revoked before the lunch adjournment. They were later seen being escorted from the courtroom in handcuffs by members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
Following submissions from defence attorney Townsend, who reminded the court that the men had remained on bail since the incident occurred in 2017, the trial judge restored their bail later that day.
Police had alleged that Smith was attacked by a group of men, one of whom was armed with a firearm, during an entertainment event in Ackee Walk. Smith was shot during the confrontation and was transported to Kingston Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
With the Crown’s case now abandoned, both Munga Honorable and Gordon have been cleared in relation to the murder charge, bringing an end to a legal battle that has spanned nearly nine years.
