‘Love always protects’ - Jolyan Silvera’s words at funeral for wife he killed

On the day Melissa Silvera was laid to rest two years ago, the sanctuary was heavy with grief and reverence. Her husband, Jolyan Silvera, relied on his mother, Cynthia, to deliver the tribute on his behalf.

The words were from the scripture.

"Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ...love does not Delight in evil but rejoices with the truth it always protects and it always trusts it always hopes and always perseveres love never fails."

The passage from Corinthians 14 verses 4 to 8 floated solemnly through the church.

Two years later, those words sit uncomfortably in the air.

Jolyan, who served as member of parliament for St Mary Western between 2011 and 2016, confessed to be his wife's killer.

Originally charged with murder, he entered a guilty plea to the lesser offence of manslaughter when he appeared in court on Monday at the start of his trial.

Melissa Silvera was found dead at their Stony Hill, St Andrew, home on November 10, 2023. It was originally believed that she died peacefully in her sleep, but an autopsy found bullet fragments in her body.

At her funeral, Melissa was remembered as far more than a wife. She was painted as the heartbeat of her home, a woman of brilliance and quiet steel.

"Your memory remains a comforting beacon of inspiration and enduring love for us all as we navigate the void left by your physical absence, I am committed to carrying forward the flame of your love, ensuring that your love legacy flourishes in the hearts of our sons and the countless lives you touched," Jolyan's tribute read.

Those glowing declarations are haunted by the glaring contradiction. He was the one who took her life and sat in the church at her funeral in tears.

The 52-year-old, who has been behind bars since January 18, 2024 -- six days after his wife's funeral -- is scheduled to be sentenced by Chief Justice Bryan Sykes on March 6.