Man found guilty of killing mother’s boyfriend

Calvin Osbort Osbourne has been remanded to Dodds Prison after a jury found him guilty of unlawfully killing his mother’s boyfriend nearly five years ago.

The 26-year-old, of Lower Bridge Gap, Cave Hill, St Michael, was acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter by a majority verdict of 11 to 1, following the summation by Madam Justice Laurie-Anne Smith-Bovell in the No. 4 Supreme Court on Wednesday evening.

Osbourne was on trial for the October 18, 2020 killing of 44-year-old Gregory Adams, who lived at the same address. He will return to court on July 18.

Presenting the State’s case, Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale SC, who prosecuted the matter alongside State Counsel Maya Kellman, said there was a violent altercation at the residence involving Osbourne, his mother, and her partner. Prosecutors contended that Osbourne’s actions during the fracas led to Adams’ death.

Osbourne, represented by defence counsel Sian Lange, gave an unsworn statement from the dock, claiming he acted in self-defence.

“My actions were not born of anger or aggression, but from a case of immediate fear for my life. I truly believed that my safety and my mother’s safety were in jeopardy,” he told the court.

The court heard that Adams sustained 22 injuries, including wounds to his face, head, neck, chest, arms, lower back, and right shoulder. He died from blood loss.

Osbourne had been jointly charged with his mother, Shonette Vanessa Williams, who was convicted of murder in a separate trial last year.