By Barbara Gayle, Staff ReporterTHREE PERSONS were convicted yesterday of the murder of 60-year-old attorney-at-law, Shirley Playfair.
Miss Justice Kay Beckford has put off sentencing until today.
The jury deliberated for three hours and 40 minutes before convicting Raymone Drysdale, 26, also called Fudgie, of Metcalfe Road, Kingston 13, Ashley Ricketts, 50, taxi-driver, of 44A Maxfield Avenue, Kingston 13 and Annette Livingston, 42, of Buff Bay, Portland. Livingston was Mrs. Playfair's secretary for 17 years up to the time of the murder.
Livingston held down her head as she was being escorted from the dock yesterday evening.
They will be sentenced to life imprisonment for non-capital murder but the judge will recommend how many years they must serve before they can be eligible for parole.
Dwayne "Amin" Williams, 26, of Metcalfe Road, was also charged with the murder but he escaped from custody on April 22, last year.
Defence attorneys Frank Phipps, Q.C., Sylvester Morris and George Soutar told The Gleaner that their clients "will be appealing" the matter.
The Crown represented by Kathy Pyke, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, led evidence at the trial which began on March 17 in the Home Circuit Court that the three accused were part of a common design to murder Mrs. Playfair.
Evidence was given that Mrs. Playfair was in her office at Seymour Park, 2 Seymour Avenue, Kingston 6 at about mid-day on April 13, 2000 having soup for lunch when Drysdale and Williams went there and cut her throat.
Ricketts had transported the men to Seymour Park. Ricketts' taxi was stopped by soldiers and police on Metcalfe Road about 45 minutes after the murder. Ricketts and Williams were held with two ratchet knives. DNA tests were conducted on the knives and Mrs. Playfair's blood was found on the knives. Drysdale and Williams were pointed out at identification parades as the two men who were at Mrs. Playfair's office on April 13, 2000.
One witness testified that she saw Drysdale "wringing" a knife in Mrs. Playfair's neck.
Ricketts gave a cautioned statement in which he admitted taking Drysdale and Williams to Seymour Park.
The three accused said in their defence that they had nothing to do with Mrs. Playfair's murder.
