Two men from St Catherine who spent over 15 years in prison for a 2010 murder have been released after the Court of Appeal overturned their convictions on Friday.
Kimarley Fortella and Kestner Murray, who were taken into custody in November 2010, had been found guilty in 2014 for the killing of 35-year-old Corrine Johnson, also known as “Debby.” Johnson was fatally shot at her Central Village home on January 14, 2010.
Following their conviction in the Home Circuit Court, both men received life sentences with the possibility of parole after serving 15 years. They later challenged both the verdict and sentence, filing appeals in July 2014.
In its ruling, the appellate court determined that the convictions could not stand, citing major concerns about the strength and reliability of the prosecution’s case. Judges highlighted inconsistencies in the testimony of the lone eyewitness, particularly conflicting accounts regarding the circumstances of the shooting.
The court also found fault with how the trial was handled, noting that the presiding judge failed to properly instruct the jury on how to assess the discrepancies in the evidence. According to the panel, this shortcoming compromised the integrity of the verdict.
During the appeal, attorney Kemar Robinson, representing Fortella, argued that the evidence presented at trial was too weak to justify sending the matter to a jury. Meanwhile, Keith Bishop, who represented Murray, contended that his client had already served the equivalent of a proper sentence based on applicable guidelines.
Evidence presented during the original trial indicated that Johnson was at home tending to her daughter when a group of armed men entered her yard in an area known as Compound, near Central Village. A witness claimed to have recognized the attackers and reported hearing them question Johnson about her boyfriend, who was said to be a community figure and had been missing at the time.
Gunshots were reportedly fired, and Johnson sustained multiple injuries, dying at the scene.
Throughout the proceedings, both Fortella and Murray denied any involvement, maintaining their innocence and presenting alibi evidence supported by witnesses. Their release brings a significant development to a case that has spanned more than a decade.
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