Munga Honorable ‘Disappointed’ By Lengthy Postponement Of His Murder Trial

Dancehall artist Damian ‘Munga Honorable‘ Rhoden is disappointed that his murder trial has been postponed to February 17, 2025, after a declaration in the Home Circuit court today that the trial could not proceed because of ‘personal reasons’ presented by the artist’s lawyer Christopher Townsend.

“I have a priority matter set for next week and I also a personal reasons why I could not have planned the matter this week,” Townsend explained to DancehallMag.

Rhoden and his co-accused Sheridan Gordon are charged in connection with the 2017 murder of Cleveland Smith, who is a relative of Heads High singer Mr. Vegas (real name, Clifford Smith).

“Munga is a little disappointed, he wanted to have his day in court, but he understands the nature of these matters, court is very uncertain,” Townsend said.

The lengthy postponement date of the trial date is a direct result of the effects of the pandemic on the judicial system.

“COVID has put back all the dates and that’s the only date that is now available. If the matter had come up, I could have accommodated a date within this term or next term, and it is so with everybody, everybody has backed up their list,” Townsend said.

Jury trials were suspended in March 2020 when Jamaica recorded its first case of COVID-19. Since then, the courts made efforts to get jury trials back on track, even sending out notices to jurors, but had to retract given unforeseen spikes in COVID-19 cases. In the interim, bench trials have gained popularity.

Consequently, a new trial date was scheduled along with a trial readiness hearing for November 4, 2024.

Justice Leighton Pusey extended both defendants’ bail.

According to a police report, on the day in question, Smith was accosted by a group of men, one reportedly armed with a gun, at a dance in Ackee Walk, St Andrew.

An altercation ensued between them, resulting in Smith being shot and later pronounced dead at the Kingston Public Hospital.

Before his death, Smith had injured the Bad From Mi Born deejay in a machete attack.