Baxters Road shooter gets life

Convicted in the 2022 Baxters Road shooting in which Jerome Stuart was slain and two other men were wounded, Jakobe Jaheem Yarde was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Yarde, 26, of Nurse Land, Bank Hall, has already spent four and a half years on remand and must serve a further 40 and a half years before he can be considered for parole.

At the end of his trial in June in the No. 3 Supreme Court, Yarde was found guilty of the April 16, 2022, murder of Stuart, formerly of 8th Avenue, New Orleans, who died after being shot near Jordan’s Supermarket.

Yarde was also convicted by the 12-member jury of using a firearm without a valid licence; unlawfully wounding Steve Hackett and Rasheed Bishop with intent to do them serious bodily harm or to maim, disfigure or disable them; and maliciously engaging in conduct, namely shooting at Michael Preville and Ceejay Ifill, with intent to place them in danger of death or serious bodily harm.

Yarde was sentenced to 17 years on these charges, which were reduced to 12 years after the court took his time in custody into account. All sentences will run concurrently.

Justice Carlisle Greaves handed down the sentences last Friday. 

Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Krystal Delaney, who prosecuted the case with Principal State Counsel Joyann Catwell, urged the court to impose a life sentence with a tariff of 45 years for the “unprovoked” shooting.

A group of men had gathered to lime and have drinks in Baxters Road that Saturday, the court heard. Yarde, who was wearing a colourful shirt before the shooting, changed into a black shirt, before arming himself with a gun and carrying out the attack, the prosecutor said.

Defence attorneys Sade Harris and Markaila Brathwaite represented Yarde. Harris suggested a 35-year tariff, noting that Yarde had no previous convictions, was deemed at medium risk of reoffending, and was a young man who could be rehabilitated.

Justice Greaves said the evidence showed that he had stalked his victims.

The judge said: “There was powerful evidence in this case, which was a very strong case, which proved in my opinion beyond any reasonable doubt that the accused was guilty. There was CCTV evidence from different sources which showed his journey and where he was at as he stalked the victims in this case and then advanced to them, discharged the firearm and fled while concealing the firearm in his trousers.”

Yarde’s discharge of 11 shots on the busy street showed “callous disregard for the lives and well-being of those around”, he added.

(JB)