Man charged for murder of two homeless people – suspected in three other killings and abduction
ST JAMES, Jamaica— A man has been charged for the murder of two homeless people in St James and the police have indicated that more charges are likely Friday in connection with the deaths of three others.
He is also expected to be charged in connection with an attack on a woman who had to be rescued by police accompanying a ministerial tour.
According to a high-ranking police officer, Ronaldo Ricketts was on Thursday charged for the murder of Mark Thompson following a question and answer session in the presence of his lawyer. Thompson was killed around 11:44 pm on August 19, 2023 and his body found on St Claver Avenue in Montego Bay. Also on Thursday, Ricketts was charged for the murder of another man who was killed on Barnett Street in the western city. That man remains unidentified.
Meanwhile, the police are trying to determine the identity of three other homeless men in whose murders Ricketts is a suspect.
In a September 1 interview with the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Corporate Communications Unit, Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson said forensic evidence and technological capabilities had linked a suspect to the killings of five homeless men in St James and charges were likely soon.
READ: St James Police nab suspect behind killing of five homeless people
Ricketts is also expected to be charged today in connection with the August 30 forceful abduction and attempted rape of a woman. It was during that incident that he was nabbed by the police who were escorting a ministerial tour of sections of St James. The cops stopped to help a screaming woman. The incident occurred on Melvin Hall Avenue in Montego Bay.
The police were nearby, at Jarrett Park, when they heard the woman’s screams. According to the police she had managed to escape from the car of a man holding her at knife point and attempting to rape her. The police responded to the woman’s screams and took the man into custody even as he proclaimed his innocence. The woman was whisked away by cops.
The incident temporarily put a tour by Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie on hold.
