Reggae artiste pleads guilty in fatal crash case

Following her guilty plea on Monday in the Westmoreland Circuit Court to a charge of death by dangerous driving, reggae singer Sevana will be sentenced on November 17.

The popular entertainer, whose given name is Anna Blake, had her fingerprints taken on Monday and has been bound over on a $400,000 bail until her next court appearance. She is being represented by attorney-at-law Everton Dewar and appeared before Justice Courtney Daye at the Westmoreland Circuit Court.

A source told THE STAR that an antecedent, which is the history and record of the defendant, has been ordered.

"What happens is that they will do a thorough background check to see what kind of person the defendant [Sevana] is. They will search for any previous convictions or any previous enforcement action taken against the person, whether formal or informal. This will be used to determine if the defendant will be given time in jail, the extent of time or if she will be fined and the amount. Once the antecedent is good, the judge can be lenient," the source explained.

"Of course, as an entertainer, they will look through her music catalogue to see the type of songs that she sings and that too will be taken into consideration," the source added. Sevana's lawyer could not be reached for comment.

Sevana, who will celebrate her 31st birthday later this month, was charged following an accident in May 2021. The police report that Sevana was travelling along the Scott Cove main road in Whitehouse when the Honda City motor car she was driving collided with a Honda Fit going in the opposite direction. Ordia Cordiel, who was in the Honda Fit, sustained severe injuries and was admitted to the Black River Hospital. She died on May 30. The police charged Sevana on June 1 and she made three appearances in the Westmoreland Parish Court.

In January, Judge Steve Walters set an October 31 mention date for the case to be moved to the Westmoreland Circuit Court.

Westmoreland-born Sevana first came to prominence in 2008 when she entered Digicel Rising Stars as part of the girl group SLR. They placed third. SLR broke up the following year and Sevana went on a hiatus from music.

In 2014, she resumed writing and performing and was featured on reggae singer Protoje's single Sudden Flight, on his album Ancient Future. She also began to regularly appear with his band, Indiggnation, in live performances and later toured with them in July 2015. Protoje signed Sevana under his In.Digg.Nation Collective label, but she has since severed ties with the entity. She released her eponymous EP in 2016.

In July, Sevana released If You Only Knew, the first single on her second EP, Be Somebody. It was her major label debut.