Dancehall entertainer Munga Honourable freed of murder charge
Key Points(5)
- Jubilation has engulfed the camp of dancehall entertainer Munga Honourable, after he and his murder co-accused were set free on Friday.
- The prosecution in the case offered no further evidence against Munga, whose given name is Damian Rhodes, and Sheridan Gordon in relation to the 2017 murder of Cleveland Smith in Ackee Walk in St Andrew.
- News Witness sinks Munga murder trial June 13, 2026 The Jamaica Observer understands that the men were freed following too many inconsistencies in the testimony of the sole eyewitness in the trial, which started last week.
- She completed her evidence on the witness stand on Thursday.
- by Taboola Promoted Links You May Like Ocean El Faro Located on the seafront overlooking the idyllic beaches of Punta Cana, the Ocean El Faro is a newly built five-star resort.
Dancehall entertainer Munga Honourable and his co-accused Sheridan Gordon were freed of murder on Friday after prosecutors offered no further evidence against them in the Supreme Court.
Munga, whose given name is Damian Rhoden, and Gordon had been on trial for the 2017 killing of Cleveland Smith Jr. in Ackee Walk, St Andrew.
The decision came after the defence challenged the credibility of the prosecution's sole eyewitness during cross-examination. The witness, who completed her testimony on Thursday, had told the court that she saw Smith being beaten and shot by two men shortly after 1 a.m. on May 12, 2017.
According to the prosecution's case, Rhoden and Gordon attacked and fatally shot Smith during a dispute along Church Lane, off Molynes Road in St Andrew, while attending a party in the area.
However, defence attorneys argued that the identification evidence was unreliable. They pointed to inconsistencies in the witness's testimony and questioned her ability to identify the accused men in what they said were dark conditions.
Following the witness's cross-examination, the Crown indicated that it would offer no further evidence, resulting in both men being formally freed.
Rhoden was represented by attorneys Christopher Townsend and Chadwyk Berry, while Gordon was represented by King's Counsel Peter Champagnie and Sayeed Bernard.
Speaking after the ruling, Townsend said the defence had successfully undermined the prosecution's identification evidence.
"It has been a long nine years. But Mr. Champagnie and myself were able to cross-examine the Crown witness, the only witness for the Crown, to the point where the credibility fell down significantly," Townsend said.
"And therefore, the prosecution threw in the towel. The main issue was identification, and we were able to demonstrate that the evidence concerning identification was extremely poor."
The case had been before the courts for several years before the trial began last week.
