The last time that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, asked for the death penalty was earlier this year in relation to the killing of a Chinese couple in western Jamaica.

The ODPP had called for the death penalty for two brothers charged for the murders of a couple of Chinese heritage in St Elizabeth and a businesswoman and her customer in Westmoreland.

The brothers, Nigel and Nicholas Walters, were charged for the December 23, 2021, murder of business operators 53-year-old Shiyun Shu and 48-year-old Haikong Wan in Bellevue in St Elizabeth.

The couple were gunned down during a robbery at their supermarket.

In a second incident, the brothers were charged for the deaths of 45-year-old businesswoman Sophia Brown and 58-year-old farmer, Bernie Lewis, both of Long Hill district, Whitehouse, Westmoreland.

In 2019, the ODPP sought the death penalty in the murder and beheading of Charmaine Rattray and her daughter Joeith Lynch. Five men were indicted on capital murder charges in relation to the 2011 killing.

Before their trial began Fabian Smith, Roshane Goldson and Adrian Campbell pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of non-capital murder meaning they would escape the death penalty.

Eventually the DPP withdrew the charge of capital murder.

All three, in addition to Kemar Riley, were sentenced to life in prison for the double murder. Sanjay Ducally was freed after it was ruled he had no case to answer.

In 2012, the death penalty was sought for 37-year-old security guard, Jefferey Perry.

He was was convicted in 2008 for the 2005 murders of three children in Killancholly, St Mary, and was sentenced to life imprisonment on all counts.

Under the provisions of section 3 sub section 1 of the Offences Against the Person Act states “every person who falls within section 3 sub section 1A shall be sentenced to imprisonment for life or to death”.

As it concerns section 3 sub section 1A, the provisions include persons who are convicted for multiple murders which arise out of the same incident.

 The last judicial execution in Jamaica was of convicted murderer Nathan Foster in 1988.