WAKEFIELD, Trelawny – The Trelawny police have issued a deadline of noon on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, for Sylvia Montaque Brown to surrender herself as they intensify their inquiries into her husband’s tragic demise. Her 60-year-old brother, the gardener Lester “Judge” Montague, was charged with murder on Monday in relation to the incident.
“We have reclassified her from a person of interest to a suspect. We anticipate her voluntary cooperation with the police,” stated Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Winston Milton, commander of the Trelawny Police Division, in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Monday, January 1, 2024.
Montaque Brown has been absent since the discovery of the lifeless body of 59-year-old fisherman David Brown, who had been bludgeoned and was covered in blood, close to their home on Saturday morning, December 30, 2023. The body, bearing multiple wounds, was found wrapped in a white bed sheet on a zinc sheet near the couple’s residence.
DSP Milton mentioned that the Browns were involved in a domestic dispute on Friday night; purported threats were made during the altercation, and Montaque Brown reported the incident to the police. Law enforcement officers visited the couple’s home to address the disturbance.
However, after 7:00 on Saturday morning, residents contacted the police again, reporting a commotion from the Brown’s residence.
Neighbors claimed that the Browns frequently quarreled.
Similar to other areas in the country, the parish has experienced its share of domestic disagreements leading to loss of life.
For instance, in the first quarter of the previous year, the Trelawny police charged Anthony Findley, also known as Boy Blue and Buddy Man, of Clark’s Town, with the shooting death of two-year-old Jerome Campbell. This incident occurred following a shooting in Mack Hill district, Clark’s Town, around 8:00 pm on Sunday, March 12, 2023.
Investigations revealed that Findley and a male cousin were engaged in a conflict. Findley allegedly left the scene and returned with a firearm, firing at his cousin, who was seated in a Honda motor car.
It was reported that the bullets missed the intended target and struck the two-year-old boy who was seated in the rear of the car. He was taken to Falmouth Public General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Findley fled the scene but was later apprehended by law enforcement officers during a stop-and-search operation in the parish.
During a community meeting following the tragic incident, both DSP Milton and Member of Parliament for Trelawny Northern, Tova Hamilton, appealed to residents to refrain from resorting to violence to resolve domestic disputes.
David Brown’s death brought Trelawny’s murder count to 24 for 2023, seven fewer than the 31 reported at the end of 2022.