Police Constable Noel Maitland has been found guilty of the murder of his girlfriend, Donna-Lee Donaldson, following a closely watched trial at the Home Circuit Court.
The verdict was delivered moments ago after weeks of testimony. Maitland was also convicted of preventing the lawful burial of a corpse in connection with Donaldson’s disappearance in July 2022.
Donaldson, a 24-year-old social media influencer, call centre employee and entrepreneur, was last seen on July 11, 2022, at the Chelsea Manor Apartments in St Andrew, where Maitland lived. Her body has never been recovered.
The prosecution relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, arguing that it formed an unbroken chain pointing to Maitland as the only person who could have caused Donaldson’s death. Crown counsel highlighted blood evidence recovered from Maitland’s apartment, the removal and disposal of furniture, and phone records tracking Maitland’s movements and communications after Donaldson disappeared.
Prosecutors also pointed to what they described as Maitland’s calculated behaviour in the days following Donaldson’s disappearance, including attempts to mislead investigators and members of her family.
During closing arguments, the lead prosecutor told the seven-member jury that the State had achieved what it set out to do. Prosecutors had earlier indicated they would rely on multiple pieces of circumstantial evidence, “like a jigsaw puzzle,” to present a single picture of what happened to Donaldson.
The prosecution acknowledged that there were no eyewitnesses to the crime but maintained that the evidence proved Donaldson was murdered “at the behest or at the hands of Maitland” and that she was not lawfully buried.
Donaldson was reported missing on July 13, 2022. Her mother testified that she last saw her daughter alive on July 11, when Maitland picked her up from her home in St Andrew. She also said she spoke with Donaldson on the morning of July 12.
The defence argued that the case was based on speculation and urged the jury to reject what it described as unreliable and incomplete evidence.
In an unsworn statement from the dock, Maitland denied killing Donaldson, telling the court that he loved her and had no reason to harm her. He said he last saw her on July 12, 2022, when she left his home following an argument over the mother of his child.
Maitland had pleaded not guilty to both charges.
