Hitman Convicted for Execution-Style Murder in Manchester

TRELAWNY, JAMAICA — A 33-year-old contract killer has been convicted for the cold-blooded execution of a Manchester salesman who was reportedly labelled an “informa” after alerting his bosses to a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme.

Jevaughn Whyne, a suspected member of the Greenvale Gang, was found guilty of murder and illegal possession of a firearm following a nearly two-week-long trial in the Trelawny Circuit Court, which concluded last Friday.

The unanimous verdict came in the Duncans Courthouse after a second round of deliberations by a seven-member jury. The first round, lasting 1 hour and 48 minutes, ended in a 4-3 split. A second round lasting just 30 minutes led to the unanimous decision.

Under Jamaica’s Jury Act, at least two hours of deliberation must pass before a judge can accept a majority verdict in non-capital murder cases.

The victim, Dishion Thompson, 25, was a sales representative who was executed in front of other patrons at a bar in the rural community of Silent Hill, Christiana, Manchester, on March 5, 2022.

Prosecutors Natallie Malcolm and Debra Bryan led evidence that Whyne entered the bar, ordered a cigarette, smoked it, and then pulled a gun, ordering all patrons to lie face down. He then stood over Thompson and fired three bullets, one to the back of the head. He escaped in a waiting car. No other patrons were harmed, and the bar was not robbed.

The main witness testified under special measures, and the case was closed to the public due to the involvement of a firearm.

The verdict brought some measure of relief to Thompson’s grieving mother, Collette Bailey, who spoke emotionally about the toll her son’s murder had taken on the family.

Bailey said the conviction has restored her confidence in the Jamaican justice system, singling out Sergeant Pat Wallace, the lead investigator, for his professionalism and empathy.

“This man was sent from God. I felt very important to the police,” she said, also praising the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for making her feel that her son’s life mattered.

Bailey believes Whyne should serve at least 35 years before parole and questioned the senselessness of her son’s murder. “When you were on your way from Mandeville to Silent Hill – 25 miles to kill my son – it never crossed your mind how this would impact the family?”

Whyne is scheduled to be sentenced on July 3.