The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was arraigned in Magistrate’s Court yesterday in connection with last Saturday’s fatal stabbing in Yellow Elder.

However, defence counsel for 29-year-old Laquinton Dean argued that he should not be charged with murder when Dean was reportedly acting in self-defence at the time of Jermaine Black’s death.

Dean was not required to enter a plea to the murder charge when arraigned before Magistrate Saboula Swain of court no.11.

It is claimed that he caused the death of Jermaine Black on March 29.

On the day in question, Black was stabbed multiple times in his body after he got into an argument with another man shortly after 3pm on Saturday.

The two men were said to have been standing among a group of men at Graham Drive, Yellow Elder Gardens. Black was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accused turned himself into police at the South Central Division shortly after the incident.

Following the reading of the charges, and being informed that the matter would be transferred to court no. 9 for a fixture hearing on April 7, lawyer Krysta Mason-Smith submitted that her client should not be charged as he had acted in self defence.

She further expressed concern for his physical and mental condition.

She said her client had not received follow up medical treatment from the injuries he sustained from the incident.

Regarding his state of mind, Ms Mason-Smith said she was concerned for Dean being remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison because he’d never been exposed to that facility and had had no prior run-ins with the law.

The court noted the concerns and said it would order Dean be given medical attention and be placed on suicide watch.