Lawsuit Being Thought of After Alleged Jamaican Cult Chief Dies Mysteriously

A lawsuit in opposition to the state is now being thought-about as a consequence of the weird circumstances which led to the dying of an alleged Jamaican cult chief on Monday, October 25.

Kevin Smith, a flamboyant Montego Bay pastor who was arrested earlier this month for allegedly performing human sacrifices in his church, died on Monday in a automobile accident close to the Linstead Bypass close to Bathroom Stroll, St. Catherine. A police officer who was current within the automobile with Smith additionally died whereas two others sustained accidents.

The incident occurred simply sooner or later earlier than Smith was to seem within the Dwelling Circuit Courtroom in Kingston. He was to be questioned in relation to the homicide of two members of his congregation, who had been killed throughout a “cult-like” ritual on Sunday, October 17. One of many victims had her throat slit. A 3rd particular person died throughout a gun battle when police arrived on the scene. Three different church-goers had been taken to hospital with severe accidents.

Whereas Smith’s crew of attorneys, led by Queen’s Counsel Valerie Neita Robertson, have shied away from addressing the alleged rituals which occurred on the church, they’ve raised issues concerning the circumstances surrounding his dying.

“Once we checked with our shopper on the St. James lockup, we had been knowledgeable that he was now not in custody. It was the second time that he was taken out of our custody and we weren’t knowledgeable. Whereas I used to be on my option to court docket, I heard that the car during which he was transported, via Linstead, not on the freeway — in a motorcar as a substitute of the suitable car — met in an accident,” she stated.

In line with Neita-Robertson, the household of the deceased will decide on whether or not they’ll go ahead with a civil go well with, which can possible heart on allegations of state negligence.

In response to the lawyer’s claims, Senior Communication Strategist at JCF, Dennis Brooks stated that there was nothing out of the abnormal relating to Smith’s switch.

“The [Director of Public Prosecutions] DPP did transfer a voluntary invoice of indictment for him to be prosecuted within the Dwelling Circuit Courtroom. In that regard, our job was to deliver him to Kingston. He wouldn’t have been charged from the St. James Parish Courtroom following the transfer from the workplace of the DPP,” Brooks defined. He acknowledged additional that every one protocols had been adopted relating to Smith’s switch.

Within the incident which led to his arrest, Smith, who referred to himself as “prophet of the nations”, had warned his followers of an incoming “flood” and instructed them to not take their cell telephones to church on the night on October seventeenth – which was a no-movement day for the island. He advised his followers that they had been being ready to board an ark and that those that had been thought-about “unclean” would have their blood shed.

Upon witnessing one church member killed, a member of the congregation left and referred to as the police.

“We had been involved that some type of ritualized killing was going to happen and so we did an entry. We discovered that there have been a few individuals who had been injured. There have been cult-like behaviors and a cult-like setup that we noticed,” defined Police Commissioner Main Antony Anderson.

A complete of 144 residents attended the ceremony that evening. Fourteen kids and 31 ladies had been additionally a part of the congregation. Smith was the top of the Pathways Worldwide Kingdom Restoration Ministries in Montego Bay, St. James.

In line with reviews, Smith had lots of of followers from Montego Bay, and had been accumulating as much as a million {dollars} per week from the congregation, which he used to purchase property, vehicles and different property. On the scene, police discovered scores of potential victims, together with bare males and animals, who had been lined as much as be sacrificed.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Paula Llewellyn additionally revealed that the controversial pastor had a legal report. In 2007, he had been convicted in Canada for sexually assaulting a 21-year-old man. He spent six months in jail and was given two months of discretionary probation.

Smith’s confederate, Andre Ruddock who allegedly participated within the rituals, now faces fees of homicide and wounding with intent. He survived the crash which claimed Smith’s life.