Former PNP MP Jolyan Silvera pleads guilty to manslaughter in wife’s death

Former St Mary Western Member of Parliament Jolyan Silvera has reportedly pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of his wife, Melissa Silvera, who was found shot dead in November 2023.

Further details about the circumstances surrounding the plea are not immediately available, including whether the prosecution or the court will accept the plea.

The development took place Monday as the trial was set to start before Chief Justice Bryan Sykes in the Gun Court in Kingston.

Director of Public Prosecutions Claudette Thompson declined to comment when contacted on Monday, noting that the matter is still before the court, and will continue on Tuesday.

The Gun Court Act requires that matters be heard in camera, so media were not permitted to cover the proceedings.

Silvera is represented by King's Counsel Peter Champagnie and attorney-at-law Patrice Riley.

The 52-year-old businessman was charged with the murder of Melissa Silvera in January 2024. She was found dead in their Stony Hill, St Andrew home on November 10, 2023.

She was initially believed to have died from natural causes, but an autopsy performed three weeks later revealed she had sustained gunshot wounds, with three bullet fragments recovered from her body.

Silvera was arrested and charged on January 18, 2024, and has remained in custody since.

The trial had originally been scheduled for January but was adjourned after the defence successfully applied for the examination of critical ballistic evidence that the laboratory had initially resisted providing.

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