Campbell-Collymore contract killer appeals life sentence amid demerit-point and US visa concerns

A convicted contract killer known in court as Blackwood is challenging the life sentence handed down for his part in the 2018 killing of businesswoman Simone Campbell-Collymore. Blackwood, who was 24 at the time, admitted opening fire on the 32-year-old and 36-year-old taxi driver Winston Walters outside her Red Hills, St. Andrew, apartment on January 2, 2018. Campbell-Collymore was shot 19 times and Walters five times, while a second gunman known only as "Jim" was later killed by the security forces.

Prosecutors said the attack was arranged in a $2-million murder-for-hire plot by the victim's husband, Omar Best-Collymore, to collect her life-insurance benefits. Blackwood pleaded guilty in January 2021 before the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston, but after testifying against his co-accused he had 15 years cut from his term and now qualifies for parole after 20 years. Best-Collymore received two life sentences and must serve more than 46 years before parole, while co-conspirators Dwayne Pink, Michael Adams and Shaquille Edwards were also jailed for life.

In immigration news, Jamaicans hoping to study in the United States are being urged not to abandon their plans despite tighter rules. The Trump administration last Thursday issued final notice of measures, effective in September, that would bar most foreign students from staying beyond four years without federal approval. US-based immigration attorney Zavier Francis called it one of the biggest shake-ups to the F1 student visa in decades, advising applicants to track their I-94 and program end dates, seek extensions early, and prepare for processing delays and extra fees.

Meanwhile, motorists are voicing concern over the demerit-point system due to take effect under the Road Traffic Act. Callers to a programme on Edge 105 FM on Monday pressed the government to review the offences and fines, noting that mechanical faults such as a missing lug nut can attract a $10,000 charge and demerit points. Penalties range from two points for not wearing a seat belt to 10 for driving under the influence, with 10 to 13 points in 15 months triggering a six-month licence suspension and up to a two-year ban at 20 points. Transport operator Egeton Newman warned that thousands of taxi and bus drivers could lose their licences within months, while Assistant Commissioner of Police Gary McKenzie and road-safety coordinator Victor Anderson defended the framework as vital to reducing road deaths.