September 17 trial for man accused of killing another with stone

Oppley Ebanks, the St James man who reportedly used a stone to beat another man to death during a confrontation on January 14 this year, is booked to stand trial in the St James Circuit Court on September 17.

Ebanks, who is charged with the murder of 40-year-old labourer Santino Plummer, got the new court date during his committal hearing in the St James Parish Court on Monday.

The committal hearing was held to determine whether his case would be transferred to the Circuit Court for trial.

During the hearing, where Ebanks was represented by attorney Jermaine Campbell, presiding Parish Judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton made a fresh offer of bail to Ebanks in the sum of $600,000 with two sureties, mirroring the bail offer he was last given on April 18.

As part of his bail conditions, Ebanks was ordered to report to the police three days a week, and he was also given a curfew order restricting him to be at home every night between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

"A prima facie (self-evident) case having been made out against you. You are hereby to stand trial at the next sitting of the St James Circuit Court to be held on September 17, 2024. When you take up your bail, you come back to court on September 17," Judge Fairclough-Hylton told Ebanks before he was remanded.

According to the allegations, on January 14 at about 11:30 p.m., Plummer - who was of a Lilliput address - went to a football field to conduct a business transaction. While there, an argument reportedly developed between him and a woman, in which Ebanks intervened.

The confrontation between the two men turned physical, during which Ebanks allegedly used a stone to strike Plummer. The police were summoned, and on their arrival, Plummer was seen lying face down in blood with a wound to the head.

Ebanks, who was seen running from the scene, was chased and held by the lawmen. He was taken into custody and formally charged after a question-and-answer session.

During a previous bail hearing for Ebanks on February 21, attorney Campbell had argued that the accused man had been defending himself and the woman from Plummer, and that Ebanks was taken into custody while he and the woman were on their way to the police. Campbell later indicated on April 18 that the woman was Ebanks' girlfriend.