COP KILLERS WALK. ONLY IN THE CRIMINALS' PARADISE, JAMAICA!
JYP SPECIAL REPORT
"WHO FAILED CORPORAL JUDITH WILLIAMS?"
Jamaica, I want you to look at this policewoman.
Her name was Corporal Judith Ann-Marie Williams.
A mother of five. A police officer. A woman who had given years of her life to serving Jamaica. She was commended for efficient and dedicated service and received the Medal of Honor for Efficient Service in 2013. In 2016, she was only months away from a planned early retirement.
But on the morning of April 28, 2016, at approximately 6:30, Corporal Williams was standing at a bus stop in east Kingston, going to work at the Office of the Commissioner of Police.
Two armed men approached.
Shots rang out.
Corporal Williams was struck multiple times. She was rushed to hospital, underwent surgeries, and died the following day.
That was 2016.
Now listen carefully.
The State arrested people.
The State charged people.
The State held people in custody.
And TEN YEARS LATER—NO TRIAL. NO VERDICT.
On Monday, September 21, 2026, the prosecution told the Home Circuit Court that the Director of Public Prosecutions had entered a nolle prosequi, discontinuing the prosecution. The Gleaner reported that the matter could resume if they found witnesses.
Wait a minute.
IF WITNESSES ARE FOUND?
After ten years?
So tonight Jamaican Young Police is asking a question that every Jamaican—police officer, civilian, prosecutor, judge, defense attorney, Government official—should want answered:
WHO FAILED CORPORAL JUDITH WILLIAMS?
And before anybody misunderstands me, the three accused men were never convicted. They are entitled to the presumption of innocence.
But that makes this story even worse.
Because if they were innocent, why did they spend more than a decade awaiting trial?
And if the State had evidence capable of proving who murdered Corporal Williams, why did Jamaica never get a trial?
Somebody explain this to me.
Because Judith Williams deserves an answer.
Her children deserve an answer.
The accused deserved a timely trial.
And Jamaica deserves an answer.
WHO FAILED CORPORAL JUDITH WILLIAMS?
Today I don't want emotion to outrun evidence.
I don't want anybody convicted on YouTube.
And I certainly will not declare these three men guilty when no Jamaican court ever convicted them.
Today we are examining something much bigger.
We are examining the system itself.
Because there are actually two justice questions here.
There is justice for Corporal Judith Williams, who was murdered.
And there is justice for accused persons who were entitled to have the allegations against them determined within a reasonable time.
The justice system had obligations to both sides.
And after approximately ten years, we still don't have a verdict.
That is the story.
THE WOMAN BEHIND THE HEADLINE
Before we talk about defendants, prosecutors, courtrooms, indictments and witnesses, let's remember the human being at the center of this case.
Her name was Judith Ann-Marie Williams.
Contemporary reporting described her as a mother of five who began her policing career with the Island Special Constabulary Force in May 1999. She eventually became a corporal and served at places including the Supreme Court, Half-Way-Tree Resident Magistrate's Court, King's House, and ultimately the Office of the Commissioner of Police.
She had received commendations for her service.
She had received the Medal of Honor for Efficient Service.
And according to the Observer's 2016 account, she had received permission to retire later that year.
Think about that.
After all those years serving Jamaica, retirement was approaching.
But she never got there.
On April 28, 2016, she was waiting for transportation to go to work when gunmen attacked her.
The accounts differ slightly on the exact number of wounds—the later Gleaner reporting says she was shot six times, while one contemporary Observer report described eight shots. What is undisputed in these reports is that she was repeatedly shot, hospitalized, and subsequently died.
That distinction matters because at Jamaican Young Police:
DATA IS KING.
When sources differ, we tell you they differ.
We don't manufacture certainty.
THEN CAME THE PROMISE OF JUSTICE
Something particularly painful happened at Corporal Williams's funeral.
Then Commissioner of Police Dr Carl Williams publicly committed to laying charges. Contemporary reporting records him telling mourners that the perpetrators would be made to answer for what they had done.
The authorities moved.
In June 2016, the police announced charges against Constable Gladstone Williams and Jessie Anderson. They were charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and illegal possession of a firearm.
Then, in 2017, Rohan Smith was charged with murder, conspiracy to murder, and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Let me emphasize something.
Charged does not mean convicted.
An allegation by the State is not proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
These men remained legally presumed innocent.
And that's precisely why a trial mattered so much.
A courtroom was supposed to test the evidence.
Witnesses were supposed to testify.
Defense lawyers were supposed to challenge them.
A judge was supposed to rule on the law.
And ultimately, the proper tribunal was supposed to determine whether the prosecution had proved its case.
That's how justice works.
But something went terribly wrong.
ONE YEAR BECAME TWO.
Two became three.
Three became five.
Five became eight.
Eight became ten.
And still—
NO COMPLETED TRIAL.
Think about what ten years means.
Children grow up.
People retire.
Memories fade.
Witnesses move.
Witnesses become sick.
Witnesses die.
Evidence becomes more difficult to present.
And the longer a criminal prosecution sits unresolved, the greater the risk that justice becomes harder to achieve.
This isn't simply about speed.
It's about the integrity of the evidence itself.
THEN LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED IN 2025
This is where I want the Jamaican people to pay particularly close attention.
The Gleaner reported that the trial was supposed to begin on January 21, 2025.
It didn't.
Why?
According to the Gleaner, there were insufficient jurors, and the prosecution had not settled the witnesses on the indictment.
The court had previously been advised that witnesses needed to be added and others removed.
And King's Counsel Peter Champagnie complained that, after approximately eight years of case management, the indictment still had not been completed.
Eight years!
I want somebody to explain that to the Jamaican people.
I'm not assigning individual blame without the complete court record.
But I am asking:
How can a murder prosecution remain unresolved for eight years and still have outstanding issues concerning the witnesses listed on the indictment?
That's not a small administrative matter.
This was a murder case.
And not merely any murder case.
The victim was a serving police corporal.
NOW WE ARRIVE AT JULY 2026.
By then, defense attorneys were openly protesting.
Peter Champagnie said his client had been incarcerated for 10 years and two months awaiting trial.
The reported causes of delay included shortages of courtrooms, inability to impanel a jury, and problems involving the indictment.
Stop right there.
Ten years and two months.
Whatever your feelings about the allegations, that should trouble you.
Because constitutional protections aren't rewards given only to people we like.
The State accused these men.
Therefore, the State had an obligation to prosecute the case according to law.
If you can prove it—
prove it.
If you cannot prove it—
the justice system has mechanisms for dealing with that.
But leaving people incarcerated year after year without reaching a determination serves neither the victim nor the accused.
THEN SEPTEMBER 21, 2026 ARRIVES.
And this is the part that should make every Jamaican ask serious questions.
The men returned to the Home Circuit Court.
The prosecutor informed the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions had entered a nolle prosequi.
The prosecution was discontinued.
And according to the Gleaner, the matter could be resumed—
IF WITNESSES ARE FOUND.
Now I'm asking:
What happened to the witnesses?
Not accusing anybody.
I'm asking.
Because the Jamaican people deserve the chronology.
When were the witnesses last available?
Which witnesses became unavailable?
When did the prosecution discover that?
Were they unavailable temporarily or permanently?
What attempts were made to locate them?
Did any leave Jamaica?
Were any afraid to testify?
Were any deceased?
Were any no longer considered necessary?
Could any prior evidence legally have been admitted through another mechanism?
Those are questions—not allegations.
And they should be answered from the court and prosecution records.
BECAUSE SOMETHING DOESN'T ADD UP FOR THE PUBLIC
The authorities investigated.
People were arrested.
Charges were brought.
Years of court appearances followed.
The accused remained in custody.
Then, after approximately a decade, the prosecution was discontinued, and the public was told the matter could resume if witnesses are found.
How did we get from charges in 2016 and 2017 to looking for witnesses in 2026?
That is the heart of this investigation.
AND DON'T BLAME THE JUDGE WITHOUT EVIDENCE
This is important.
People sometimes see somebody walk out of court and immediately say:
"The judge freed them."
Hold on.
The reporting says the DPP entered the nolle prosequi.
That is fundamentally different from a jury hearing the prosecution's evidence and acquitting the defendants.
It is also different from a judge conducting a trial and finding the accused not guilty.
The prosecution was discontinued.
So let's be accurate.
Because when we're discussing the justice system, accuracy matters.
DON'T CALL THESE MEN MURDERERS EITHER
I know people are angry.
I understand why the killing of a policewoman produces powerful emotions.
But Jamaican young police officers have to operate differently.
Constable Gladstone Williams, Rohan Smith and Jessie Anderson were accused.
They were charged.
But they were not convicted in this case.
Therefore, we cannot legitimately tell the public:
"These three men murdered Corporal Williams."
We don't know that as an adjudicated fact.
The State alleged that people were involved in her killing.
A trial was supposed to determine whether those allegations could be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
That trial never delivered a verdict.
And that's exactly the problem.
THINK ABOUT THE ACCUSED MEN FOR A MOMENT
Suppose one or more were innocent.
Ten years of their lives cannot simply be handed back.
Suppose the prosecution possessed strong evidence against one or more of them.
Corporal Williams's family still never got to see that evidence tested and a verdict returned.
Either way—
justice was not completed.
That is why this isn't a story where we need to choose between caring about Corporal Williams and caring about due process.
A functioning justice system must do both.
It must protect victims.
And it must protect accused persons.
NOW THINK ABOUT THE MESSAGE TO POLICE OFFICERS
This is where this becomes deeply personal for every member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
You put on your uniform.
You leave your family.
You go into communities where people may be armed with weapons capable of killing you.
You arrest murder suspects.
You confront gunmen.
You testify.
You risk your life.
Corporal Williams wasn't even in a confrontation when she was attacked.
She was reportedly waiting for transportation to go to work.
And ten years later, there is still no verdict determining criminal responsibility for her murder.
Police officers are entitled to ask:
If one of us is murdered, can the system actually bring the case to trial?
That isn't anti-government.
That isn't anti-DPP.
That isn't anti-court.
That's a legitimate question about institutional performance.
AND THINK ABOUT HER CHILDREN
The Observer reported that Corporal Williams left five children.
At her funeral, her son Andre spoke about losing his mother.
Those children have now lived with this for ten years.
Imagine waiting year after year.
Another mention date.
Another hearing.
Another postponement.
Another trial date.
Another delay.
And eventually—
no trial at all.
What are they supposed to make of that?
They deserve a clear explanation of what happened.
Not slogans.
Not finger-pointing.
Answers.
SO WHO FAILED CORPORAL JUDITH WILLIAMS?
Here is where I am going to be careful.
I am not going to invent an individual culprit.
Publicly available reporting does not yet establish that one judge, one prosecutor, one administration, one defense lawyer, or one institution caused the entire ten-year delay.
What the reporting does document is a series of problems:
courtroom shortages, jury problems, indictment issues, repeated delays, and ultimately witness availability.
Those are facts worth investigating.
The next step should be to reconstruct every adjournment.
Date by date.
Reason by reason.
Who requested it?
Why was it granted?
Was the Crown ready?
Was the defense ready?
Was the courtroom available?
Was a jury available?
Were the witnesses available?
And when they weren't—
why not?
That chronology would allow Jamaicans to determine responsibility based upon records rather than speculation.
AND Government HAS A ROLE TOO
Government doesn't determine whether an accused person is guilty.
Politicians should not dictate verdicts.
Prosecutorial independence and judicial independence matter.
But governments are responsible for providing the justice system with legislation, infrastructure and resources.
So if cases repeatedly cannot proceed because there aren't enough courtrooms, jurors or administrative capacity, that becomes a legitimate public-policy issue.
A murder case should not deteriorate because the justice machinery cannot get everybody into a functioning courtroom.
WHAT ABOUT THE DPP?
The DPP's office also deserves an opportunity to explain publicly what happened.
Not because a nolle prosequi automatically means misconduct.
It doesn't.
A prosecution may have legitimate reasons it cannot responsibly proceed.
Prosecutors cannot simply put on a murder trial without sufficient admissible evidence.
If crucial witnesses genuinely cannot be located, that can fundamentally change whether a case can proceed.
But after ten years, the public interest in an explanation is enormous.
What evidence existed?
Without compromising any future prosecution, what happened to the witnesses?
When did their availability become a problem?
Why couldn't that problem be solved earlier?
And is there an active effort to find them now?
AND I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION.
Who is investigating Corporal Williams's murder today?
Because a nolle prosequi in this prosecution does not erase the homicide.
Judith Williams is still dead.
Someone killed her.
If the evidence does not establish that these three accused men were responsible, then the question becomes even more urgent:
Who was?
The case cannot simply become an old newspaper clipping.
A family stands behind that photograph.
JAMAICA, THIS IS BIGGER THAN ONE CASE.
Justice delayed damages everybody.
Victims lose confidence.
Witnesses lose confidence.
Police lose confidence.
Accused persons lose years of their lives without adjudication.
Families lose faith.
And ordinary Jamaicans begin believing that the justice system doesn't work.
That's dangerous.
Because the rule of law depends not only upon police making arrests.
An arrest is merely the beginning.
Police investigate.
Prosecutors prosecute.
Defense attorneys defend.
Courts adjudicate.
Juries determine facts where applicable.
And corrections administer sentences after conviction.
Every link matters.
If one part collapses, the entire chain of justice can collapse with it.
MY MESSAGE TO THE JCF
Don't forget Corporal Judith Williams.
Her photograph should not disappear because this prosecution was discontinued.
Someone murdered one of your own.
And until criminal responsibility is lawfully determined—or the evidence establishes that it cannot be—the unanswered questions remained unanswered.
Follow the evidence.
Preserve whatever evidence remains.
Revisit what can lawfully be revisited.
Locate witnesses where possible.
And give the Williams family truthful information about the status of this investigation.
MY MESSAGE TO THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
Ten years awaiting trial should trigger serious institutional examination.
Not because every delay is somebody's deliberate wrongdoing.
But because ten years represents a period long enough for the system itself to ask:
What went wrong, and how do we prevent this from happening again?
If the problem was courtrooms, fix the capacity problem.
If the problem was jurors, examine jury administration.
If the problem was case management, strengthen it.
If the problem was witness availability, improve witness management and protection within the law.
If several things failed simultaneously, then address all of them.
Because there will be another major murder prosecution.
And Jamaica cannot afford another family waiting a decade only to discover there will be no trial.
CLOSING
Tonight I want you to remember a name.
Not the politicians.
Not the attorneys.
Not even the accused.
Remember:
CORPORAL JUDITH ANN-MARIE WILLIAMS.
A mother.
A policewoman.
A Jamaican.
She put on the uniform and served her Country.
On April 28, 2016, she left home for work.
She never came home.
She fought for her life in hospital and died the next day.
Then Jamaica waited.
2026.
And still no trial verdict establishing who was criminally responsible for murdering Corporal Judith Williams.
The three accused men also waited approximately a decade for the State to put its allegations before a court.
That is why this story cannot responsibly be reduced to:
"Three murderers walked free."
No.
They weren't convicted.
Nor can it simply be:
"Three innocent men were vindicated."
No acquittal established that either.
The terrible truth is more unsettling:
JAMAICA NEVER GOT THE TRIAL.
So today I ask the question again:
WHO FAILED CORPORAL JUDITH WILLIAMS?
Who allowed a police murder prosecution to remain unresolved for approximately ten years?
What happened to the witnesses?
What happened with the indictment?
How many times was this trial postponed?
Who requested every postponement?
And most importantly:
WHO IS GOING TO FIND OUT WHO MURDERED CORPORAL JUDITH WILLIAMS?
Her family deserves that answer.
Her former colleagues deserve that answer.
The three men who spent years awaiting trial deserved a timely adjudication.
And Jamaica deserves that answer.
This is Jamaican Young Police.
We don't convict people based on headlines.
We don't manufacture evidence.
We follow the documents.
We ask the difficult questions.
And we allow the evidence to take us wherever it leads.
Because around here—
DATA IS KING.
LIKE. HYPE. SHARE. COMMENT.
And never forget the name:
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