Ex-guard said Dog Paw cried in prison

A former correctional officer said that the much-feared gangster, Christopher 'Dog Paw' Linton, sometimes cried alone in his cell at the Horizon Adult Remand Centre.

The ex-prison guard, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that he enjoyed a good relationship with Linton while he was in the service. He also said that Linton, who was on the same block as well-known gangster Joel Andem, appeared overwhelmed on several occasions.

"I remember times when I walked up to his cell and he was there sobbing, in tears, as he reflected on his life," the ex-guard told THE WEEKEND STAR.

Linton, 35, who the police said was linked to several murders and shootings, was on Monday killed by lawmen during a reported gunfight in Elletson Flats, St Andrew. His death comes six months after he was released from prison.

Linton and Micah Allen were sentenced to 15 years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm and shooting with intent in 2013. The ex-warden said that it is clear that Linton, despite the years of reflecting on the path he had taken, found it impossible to walk away from criminality.

"He is a prime example of how the gun and badness culture is strong in Jamaica, because even if they have an alternative to have a better life, they are drawn to it," he said.

"Regardless of how difficult it is to walk away from certain things, I thought he would have at least tried because he was well aware of his life and what happened to his brothers."

Linton's elder brother, Jeffrey Jones, died in prison during a prison riot in 2002. Another of his brothers, Ricardo Jones, otherwise known as Puppy Paw, was killed by members of the Mobile Reserve at a house in Gordon Town, St Andrew, in 2015.

The guard said he found Linton to be 'God-fearing' and someone who had 'a passion for music'.

"You have to have a certain line where you stand and how far you would go, but I could identify with him having the fear of God. I would bring him CDs with gospel music, and he would tell me he literally felt the presence of God. But he didn't want anyone hearing him talk like that because you don't want to be seen as a choir boy in prison," the ex-warder said.