…….Wife, son, 2, escape death
By FRANCIS JOSEPH
Sherman Cheston Lambkin was the main witness for the State in a murder trial which ended with a guilty verdict in 2022.
But Lambkin, 41, a father of seven, was shot dead inside his Valencia home in the early hours of Friday morning, as his wife and toddler narrowly escaped death in a brazen home invasion.
The killing occurred around 2:30 a.m. on Friday when gunmen kicked open the door of the house and forced their way inside while the family slept. At the time, Lambkin’s wife and their child, two, were lying on the bed when the attack began. At the time of the shooting, Lambkin was standing.
Lambkin, also known as “Gummy,” was a main State witness in the 2005 murder of Devon Poptee, a case that resulted in the conviction of Adim Reece on July 25, 2022 before Madame Justice Carla Brown-Antoine.
Homicide Bureau officers are trying to determine if the killing was related to the case where he gave evidence, or whether there was another motive.
The Case
In the case against Adim Reece, the prosecution led evidence from 11 witnesses. The evidence of six witnesses was put in by way of formal admission. Several documents were also put into evidence. At the close of the prosecution’s case, the judge overruled a no-case submission made on behalf of the accused.
When called upon, the accused chose to remain silent. The case for the State was that on Boxing Night, 26th December, 2005, the accused shot Devon Poptee at the back of his head, along a track in Valencia.
After the Judge-Alone trial, Justice Brown-Antoine said, “I must return to the case for the State and I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt, based on the evidence of Sherman Lambkin and the circumstantial evidence led by the State, that it was the accused who shot the deceased causing injuries to his head from which the deceased died. I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that at the time the accused shot the deceased he had an intention to kill him or to cause him grievous bodily harm.
“Having given the matter careful consideration, I reject the defence of the accused. While the accused is entitled to remain silent, there was no evidence that undermined or contradicted the case for the State. Lambkin rejected all the suggestions that were put to him.
“In light of the conclusions of the court, the court has arrived at the following verdict: The accused is guilty of the murder of Devon Poptee.”
