Killer deemed ‘danger to society’ jailed for over 33 years 

Convicted killer Raheem Travonte Barnett has been sentenced to serve more than 33 years in prison for fatally shooting Oneill Chase twice in the head on a public road, after a High Court judge deemed him “a danger to society”.

Barnett, of Regency Park, Christ Church, received a starting sentence of 40 years following his conviction for Chase’s murder on October 5, 2019. However, after deductions for time on remand and case delays, Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell ordered that he serve 33 years and 107 days at Dodds Prison.

Saying that the matter was not one warranting the death penalty or a whole-life term, the judge declared: “The court is of the view that the callous manner in which you shot the deceased in the head, your behaviour after the fact where you passed the deceased’s girlfriend and looked her in the face without any fear of being identified as you placed the gun back in your waist, together with the brazen manner in which you shot the deceased on a public road in the view of members of society, makes you a danger to society and therefore a long custodial sentence is warranted.”

Justice Smith-Bovell outlined aggravating factors, including the use of an illegal firearm, the unprovoked nature of the attack, the close-range head shots, the public setting, which endangered others, and the fact that the firearm was never recovered. She also cited Chase’s suffering before his death and the emotional toll on his relatives.

In assessing Barnett, the judge took into account his illegal drug use, lack of previous convictions, and a medium risk of reoffending, deciding that no further adjustment to the sentence was necessary.

She also ordered him to participate in psychotherapeutic, developmental, educational and anger management programmes at Dodds to improve his conflict resolution and decision-making skills.

King’s Counsel Michael Lashley represented Barnett, while Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Aliston Seale SC and State Counsel Paul Prescod appeared for the prosecution.

The case arose from an incident on August 8, 2019, when Chase’s girlfriend witnessed an argument between the two men near Maxwell View, Christ Church. Barnett was seen drawing a small black gun from his waist and two loud explosions were heard. Chase ran home and named Barnett as his attacker before being transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. He succumbed weeks later and his cause of death was ruled as complications from gunshot wounds to the head. Barnett, unanimously convicted by a 12-member jury, maintained his innocence, insisting he was wrongly found guilty.