December 19, 2015
Man freed of stepdad’s killing
A 12-member jury on Friday freed a 27-year-old store clerk of murder following three hours of deliberation in the Home Circuit Court.
The accused, who was represented by Peter Champagnie and Obeka Gordon, was being tried for the May 2012 killing of his 39-year-old stepfather Othneil Lawrence on Regent Street in downtown Kingston.
It is alleged that the accused, David Spragg, retaliated after he received reports that his mother was badly beaten by his stepfather.
Lawrence, the prosecution alleged, was stabbed some 16 times, five of which were to his back.
However, the accused claimed that it was the deceased who had attacked him, forcing him to defend himself. He said he only stabbed his stepfather three times.