St. Thomas Farmer Acquitted in Fatal Chopping of Neighbour

St. Thomas, Jamaica – A 37-year-old St. Thomas farmer, Marvin McEwan, was freed in the parish court on Monday after a judge ruled that he acted in self-defence during a fatal domestic dispute with his neighbour. The court also upheld submissions made by his defence attorneys that McEwan had no case to answer.

The ruling came after McEwan was charged with the chopping death of 35-year-old Kuwaite Wright, who was fatally wounded during an altercation on November 9, 2023. The incident, which occurred in the rural parish of St. Thomas, had initially raised questions about whether McEwan acted in a manner consistent with self-defence.

Represented by King’s Counsel Peter Champagnie and attorney-at-law Patrice Riley, McEwan maintained that he was attacked by Wright, and that the fatal injuries were inflicted in an attempt to protect himself. The defence team argued that there was no direct evidence to support claims of murder or to dispute McEwan’s assertion of self-defence.

According to reports, a local resident had heard Wright shouting that someone was about to kill him just before the altercation. An hour later, the same resident reportedly discovered Wright’s lifeless body with apparent chop wounds. McEwan, however, went to the police station shortly after the incident and made a report, claiming that he had been attacked by Wright and was forced to defend himself. He also guided police to the location where Wright’s body was found, and two machetes were recovered at the scene.

In the absence of eyewitness testimony, the prosecution struggled to provide compelling evidence that McEwan’s actions were not in self-defence. The defence lawyers argued that there was insufficient evidence to charge McEwan with murder, and that his claim of self-defence had not been disproven.

After reviewing the submissions, the parish judge ruled that there was no case for McEwan to answer, and the charge of murder was dismissed. As a result, McEwan was freed from custody.

St. Thomas, Jamaica – A 37-year-old St. Thomas farmer, Marvin McEwan, was freed in the parish court on Monday after a judge ruled that he acted in self-defence during a fatal domestic dispute with his neighbour. The court also upheld submissions made by his defence attorneys that McEwan had no case to answer.

The ruling came after McEwan was charged with the chopping death of 35-year-old Kuwaite Wright, who was fatally wounded during an altercation on November 9, 2023. The incident, which occurred in the rural parish of St. Thomas, had initially raised questions about whether McEwan acted in a manner consistent with self-defence.

Represented by King’s Counsel Peter Champagnie and attorney-at-law Patrice Riley, McEwan maintained that he was attacked by Wright, and that the fatal injuries were inflicted in an attempt to protect himself. The defence team argued that there was no direct evidence to support claims of murder or to dispute McEwan’s assertion of self-defence.

According to reports, a local resident had heard Wright shouting that someone was about to kill him just before the altercation. An hour later, the same resident reportedly discovered Wright’s lifeless body with apparent chop wounds. McEwan, however, went to the police station shortly after the incident and made a report, claiming that he had been attacked by Wright and was forced to defend himself. He also guided police to the location where Wright’s body was found, and two machetes were recovered at the scene.

In the absence of eyewitness testimony, the prosecution struggled to provide compelling evidence that McEwan’s actions were not in self-defence. The defence lawyers argued that there was insufficient evidence to charge McEwan with murder, and that his claim of self-defence had not been disproven.

After reviewing the submissions, the parish judge ruled that there was no case for McEwan to answer, and the charge of murder was dismissed. As a result, McEwan was freed from custody.