Jolyan Silvera’s guilty plea accepted in wife’s death

Former People's National Party Member of Parliament for St Mary Western, Jolyan Silvera, is one step closer to prison after the Gun Court on Thursday accepted his guilty plea in connection with the death of his wife.

The decision was handed down by Chief Justice Bryan Sykes.

Silvera is to be sentenced on March 6.

He has been behind bars since January 2024.

Silvera, originally charged with murder, entered a guilty plea to the lesser offence of manslaughter when he appeared in court on Monday at the start of his trial.

The 52-year-old businessman is accused in connection with the death of his wife, Melissa Silvera, who was found dead at their Stony Hill, St Andrew, home on November 10, 2023.

Initially thought to have died from natural causes, an autopsy conducted three weeks later revealed gunshot wounds, with three bullet fragments recovered from her body.

Silvera was arrested and charged on January 18, 2024, and has been in custody since.

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