J-Man’s US trial set as prosecutors seek his testimony in Jamaica

Jahreme ‘J-Man’ Shelton, the Jamaican national who prosecutors have sought to call as an overseas witness in the high-profile triple-murder case against music producer Linval ‘Shab Don’ Thompson and his co-accused, is now set to face a Broward County, Florida, jury on charges stemming from a fatal double shooting.
The closely watched cross-border case is one that investigators have linked to a violent St James gang feud that authorities say spilled from western Jamaica into South Florida.
Court records obtained by The Gleaner show that Shelton’s jury trial is scheduled to begin on November 9 before Broward County Circuit Judge Bernard I. Bober in Fort Lauderdale.
Shelton has pleaded not guilty and remains incarcerated at the Broward Main Jail without bond.
The confirmation of the trial date comes months after the St James Circuit Court granted an application by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for two overseas witnesses to testify via video link in the triple-murder case against Thompson and Tajay ‘Fat Head’ Clarke.
Shelton, who remains in custody in the United States (US), is one of the witnesses the prosecution has sought to have testify remotely. Legal and logistical challenges associated with securing evidence from an imprisoned witness overseas are among the factors that have contributed to repeated delays in the Jamaican proceedings.
Birthday party 
The Jamaican case stems from a brazen May 25, 2022, shooting at a birthday party on Marl Road in Rose Heights, St James, in which Chamario ‘Chippy’ Calvin, Chadwell ‘Bomb Brain’ Frazer, and Toniann ‘Too Fly’ Reid were killed, and two other people were wounded.
Shelton was among those wounded in the attack, making him one of the surviving eyewitnesses.
He fled the country for the US after the attack and was publicly seen with dancehall artiste Squash, who is now incarcerated in the US. Squash, whose given name is Andre Whittaker, is serving time for a separate offence.
Local prosecutors have argued that Shelton’s evidence is material to their case against Thompson and Clarke.
Four months after the birthday bloodshed, Shelton himself was arrested in Florida and charged in connection with a deadly shooting that investigators believe unfolded against the backdrop of the same violent conflict that had gripped sections of St James.
The Broward case dates back to the night of October 19, 2022, when Lauderhill police responded to reports of sustained gunfire outside the Blueberry Hill Condominiums on Blueberry Court.
Officers found two men suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the parking lot. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
The victims were later identified as Dwayne ‘Muscle Man’ Francis and Jeff ‘FordLawd’ Murray.
According to Shelton’s arrest affidavit, surveillance footage allegedly showed a dark-coloured sedan reversing into the parking area before several men exited the vehicle.
Investigators allege that Shelton approached a group gathered outside moments before another individual opened fire.
Police further allege that Shelton was wounded during the exchange, fled behind a nearby residence and later returned to the scene, where surveillance footage allegedly captured him firing at one of the wounded men as he lay on the ground.
A short time later, a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck was dropped off at HCA Florida Woodmont Hospital in Tamarac. Detectives identified that man as Shelton.
Investigators also reported recovering blood from three locations along the route taken by the fleeing suspect. According to the affidavit, forensic testing matched the samples to Shelton.
‘Dangerous, depraved
Detectives reportedly relied on surveillance footage, witness statements, and hospital records in building the case.
Shelton was originally charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm. However, current Broward Sheriff’s Office jail records describe the principal offences as “murder dangerous depraved without premeditation” and indicate that the charges were amended from first-degree murder while related court entries continue to reference the original first-degree murder counts.
The Florida investigation drew immediate attention in Jamaica after detectives received information suggesting that the killings were connected to an ongoing feud involving rival Montego Bay gangs.
That assessment echoed concerns publicly expressed by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) shortly after the Lauderhill shootings.
In an interview with The Gleaner in November 2022, then-Deputy Superintendent of Police Eron Samuels, who was in charge of operations in the St James Police Division, said investigators believed that the gang conflict that had fuelled a wave of murders in western Jamaica had spread to South Florida.
He said police had heightened security measures in St James amid fears of reprisals but noted at the time that investigators believed many of the principal players were either behind bars or had fled the island.
The Broward prosecution has moved slowly through the Florida court system over the past four years.
The docket reflects numerous status conferences, defence continuances, changes of attorneys, and transfers between judicial divisions before the matter was ultimately assigned to Bober.
Court records show that Shelton’s attorneys filed a written plea of not guilty and a notice of participation in discovery in June this year.
Following a subsequent status conference, the court fixed November 9 for jury selection and trial.
The impending proceedings are expected to attract close attention on both sides of the Florida Straits as Shelton occupies the unusual position of being both a murder accused awaiting trial in the US and a prosecution witness in one of Jamaica’s most closely watched criminal cases.
Unless the Broward court orders a further adjournment, jury selection is expected to commence as planned.
andre.williams@gleanerjm.com