The murder trial involving dancehall artiste Munga Honorebel, whose given name is Damian Rhoden, took a significant turn this week after a prosecution witness testified that she saw the entertainer and his co-defendant allegedly participate in the fatal shooting of a St Andrew man nearly a decade ago.

The witness fingered Munga Honorebel as one of the trigger-pullers.

According to testimony presented in court, the prosecution’s first witness identified Rhoden and co-accused Gordon as the men who allegedly fired at Cleveland Smith during the incident in Ackee Walk, St Andrew. The witness told the court that after the shooting, Smith remained motionless on the ground beside the bicycle he had reportedly been riding.

The testimony marked a major development in a case that has experienced repeated delays over the years, including setbacks linked to the migration of key witnesses. Those delays had fueled uncertainty about when the matter would finally proceed to trial.

There was additional drama inside the courtroom when both Rhoden and Gordon had their bail revoked shortly before the lunch adjournment. Court observers reported that the two men were escorted from the courtroom in handcuffs by members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

However, following the break, defence attorney Christopher Townsend successfully appealed to the presiding judge to have bail restored. Townsend noted that both men had originally been granted bail shortly after Smith’s death in 2017. The court subsequently extended their bail until Thursday.

According to police reports, Smith was attending an entertainment event in Ackee Walk when he was allegedly confronted by a group of men, one of whom was reportedly armed. During the confrontation, Smith was shot and later transported to Kingston Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The case has attracted considerable public attention over the years, partly because of reports that Smith had allegedly chopped Rhoden during an earlier altercation in 2015. Relatives of the deceased, however, have maintained that any dispute between the men had been resolved long before the fatal shooting.

The trial continues.