The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN who jumped bail near the end of his murder trial into the fatal stabbing of a CV Bethel student is now behind bars awaiting sentencing for the charges he was convicted of in his absence.

Kendario Bain, who made a late appearance before Senior Justice Stephen Isaacs on Tuesday, attributed his absconding to stress and confusion before he decided to turn himself into police.

Last week, a jury found Bain and Owen McKenzie not guilty of the February 21, 2008 murder of 17-year-old Jamil Wilchcombe. However, Bain and McKenzie were found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.

The judge informed Bain that the jury’s verdict on manslaughter would be challenged at a sentencing hearing set for June 10 as McKenzie’s lawyer argued that two individuals together couldn’t commit an accidental killing.

The judge also noted that the issue of his $12,000 bail and suretors would follow afterwards.

In 2008, Wilchcombe’s brother, then 16-year-old Lee-Sanchez Dormeus, had left school to go to a nearby barbershop on East Street South when a young man attempted to take his cellular phone. This led to a fight between the two when two other young men joined in to attack Dormeus.

Dormeus’ 17-year-old brother, Jamil, tried to intervene on his sibling’s behalf, but was fatally stabbed in the chest.

It was alleged that Bain, with Owen McKenzie, had intentionally caused the death of Wilchcombe, which was rejected by the jury as the pair was unanimously acquitted.

However, the jury had considered and returned unanimous guilty verdicts for both men on the charge of manslaughter.

Bain, McKenzie and another accused, Donald Nottage, were convicted of causing harm to Dormeus, and Nottage was found guilty of the attempted theft of Dormeus’ Verizon Z3 GSM cellular phone.