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BY HORACE HINES
Observer staff reporter
hinesh@jamaicaobserver.com

Tuesday, February 09, 2021

DUNCANS, Trelawny — Thirty-nine-year-old Nadeen Geddes yesterday pleaded guilty in the Hillary session of the Trelawny Circuit Court to the murder of her sister, 36-year-old Tamara Geddes, who was shot in her bedroom in the Reserve community in the parish last year.

The 36-year-old Geddes was reportedly gunned down in the presence of her 10-year-old daughter on Friday, June 19, 2020.

Yesterday Nadeen’s two daughters — 21-year-old Shanice Ruddock and a 15-year-old — also pleaded guilty to the charge of misprison of a felony in the case when they appeared before Justice Martin Gayle.

They were both offered bail in the sum of $100,000 with surety by Justice Gayle.

Rexon Knott, 24, another defendant, who was jointly charged with murder and conspiracy to murder in the matter, pleaded not guilty and was set free as the court had insufficient evidence to proceed against him.

However, the court heard that co-accused Brian Shelly, Owen Irving, and Tashana Young, whose files were incomplete, were remanded in custody until Monday, February 22.

Both Geddes and her two daughters are expected to return to court on Friday, February 26 for sentencing.

Meanwhile, before the start of the matter involving her sister’s killing, Nadeen Geddes also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder 33-year-old Tennisha Miller of Carey Park, also in Trelawny.

Miller is now facing the capital charge for the fatal stabbing of Nadeen’s brother, 38-year-old Gregory Geddes, a raft captain of Reserve district. The raft captain was killed during a dispute with Miller at a bar in Martha Brae in December 2019.

Yesterday, Ernie Smith, who represented Ruddock in court, indicated that on the day of her sentencing he will be seeking leniency on behalf of his client.

“She had been set for sentencing for the 22nd of February, but in the meantime his lordship has offered her bail of $100,000 until the matter comes up for sentencing. I will be making a certain application to his lordship and suggestions as to what ought to be the most appropriate sentence to be imposed in all the circumstances,” Smith told reporters.

“It was clear from the evidence that she knew that her mother had done something wrong with others, but unfortunately she did not tell the police. She did not tell the police, firstly, out of respect for her mother and, secondly, out of fear, being a young person. She was 20 at the time.

“So, having regard to the nature of the evidence that was before the court, she entered a plea of guilty to imprison of felony; in a nutshell what that means is that knowing that a felony had been committed, she did not make a formal report to the relevant authorities,” he said.

The Hillary session of the Trelawny Circuit Court commenced yesterday with 52 cases on the list, including 17 new cases and 35 traversed.

Murders and lottery scamming offences topped the list.