‘No case too cold for justice’ - Ex-soldier nabbed for 2014 double murder in Portmore 

Solomon Powell, an ex-soldier wanted for a 2014 double murder committed in Portmore, was captured and charged by the St Catherine South Police on May 8, reviving a 12-year-old cold case, following a ruling by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

Powell, 63, of West Great House Circle in Havendale, St Andrew, and Windsor Heights in Central Village, St Catherine, was 50 years old when he was first taken into custody for the double murder of Livingston Garvey and Mario Cross on March 7, 2014, at the intersection of Dyke Road and Municipal Boulevard in Portmore, St Catherine.

Detective Superintendent Throyville Haughton, officer in charge of operations at St Catherine South, said Powell, also known as ‘Salla’, was always linked to the murders but remained free for 12 years while the police gathered evidence.

“He was taken into custody before, shortly after the murder. We didn’t have all the evidence so he was released. Since the DPP’s ruling this year, he became a wanted man and was only captured after a manhunt that involved raids carried out in Kingston and St Catherine,” Haughton pointed out, adding that, “no case is cold enough that justice cannot be achieved”.

Emphasising that it was a 12-year investigation that led to the DPP’s ruling and Powell’s capture, Haughton said strategies being deployed by the St Catherine South police have led to the division enjoying the lowest murder rate since its creation as a division in the mid-1990s.

“Our approach is inclusive of both internal and external customers and we are committed to the discipline required by this systematic approach, which involves use of good intelligence, effective tactics, rapid response, relentless follow-up,staff empowerment and use of science and technology,” Haughton pointed out.

“We have held suspects for sexual offences, who were charged the same day identification parades were held. We have been able to track down wanted persons all over Jamaica, as far as St Elizabeth, where we found a fugitive, who was wanted for murder and other gang crimes for more than six years.

“We have also intercepted criminals prior to, and shortly after, committing crimes in different zones of the division, based on the tactics and deployment of our teams.

“Our members are highly motivated and understand the strategies at all levels. As a management team we are proud of our team,” said Haughton.

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