Millions for massacre masterminds - Government promising big bucks for info on Clarendon murders

Prime Minister Andrew Holness is promising millions for persons who provide information on the Clarendon mass killing in Cherry Tree, Four Paths, on Sunday.

The Jamaican government has launched a $25-million reward fund aimed at gathering crucial information to aid in apprehending the perpetrators. Holness, speaking at an emergency press conference yesterday, said "The brutal killing of eight innocent Jamaicans, which has prompted the Government to mobilise all its resources to respond, is something that I make a priority". He said the army, the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency, intelligence services, and all the security forces have been mobilised in this regard.

"We will provide $6 million for information, credible information and intelligence leading to the arrest and charge of any suspect involved in the killing, particularly those who were involved in pulling the trigger. And that is up to a maximum amount of $1 million per person. Secondly, we will provide $5 million for information aiding in the investigation, arrest and charge of facilitators and the organisers," he said. Holness said the authorities were particularly interested in "the facilitators, those who provided the weapons or gave access to the weapons and ammunition, access to the motor vehicle, organised, made the telephone calls, made the connections".

However, despite the big rewards, Cherise Bruce-Douglas, manager of Crime Stop Jamaica, said that the majority of Jamaicans are giving information because they want to see a positive difference in their communities.

"From January to July this year, we have paid out $3.9 million in rewards, $3.1 million of that ... was regarding illegal firearm seizures and associated arrests," she said.

"For this period Crime Stop, assisted in the seizures of 33 illegal firearms. That represents an approximate 30 per cent increase in the number of firearms that we've seized this year compared to the same period last year." She noted a trend of receiving information without persons coming to claim their cash prizes.

"In 2023, for the entire year, we paid out $10 million in rewards. And that is the most that we paid out in a single year. Nine of that was for illegal firearms, seizures and associated arrests. And again, wanted persons. However, that $10.2 million was paid out to a mere four per cent of our citizens."

She expressed optimism that the $25 million reward fund would incentivise more citizens to come forward with critical information. Highlighting that the organisation has never had a single source compromised, Bruce-Douglas assured persons of the procedures.

"When you call 311, we do not know who our tipsters are, we do not know where they're calling from, and even upon collecting rewards, we still are unaware of their identity because we have provided a way where they can collect their rewards securely, safely, without revealing their identity," she said.