News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. Jan. 28, 2021: The 18-year-old son of a popular Jamaican dancehall star has been convicted of murder.
Dante Brooks, the son of Jamaican dancehall star Mavado, was found guilty of murder in a Kingston court Wednesday. He was also found guilty of illegal possession of a firearm and arson.
Brooks, 18, and another accomplice, Andre Hinds, were arrested and charged in connection with the grisly killing of Lorenzo Thomas in the St Andrew community of Cassava Piece on June 5, 2018.
According to prosecutors, Brooks and Hinds were among five men who entered a house and shot Thomas before pushing his father into another room. Thomas’ killers reportedly attempted to sever his head but aborted that plan because the machete was too dull. They then allegedly poured gasoline on the house and body before setting them on fire.
Prosecutors relied on the eyewitness testimony of Thomas’ father, who indicated that he knew his son’s killers from the community.
Brooks’ defense team says it plans to appeal the teenager’s murder conviction.
