Rushane Barnett charged with Chapleton quintuple murder

Barnett, 23, was first listed as a person of interest following Tuesday’s discovery of the bodies of the family of five inside their home in Cocoa Piece district, Chapleton.

He was nabbed by the police in Wilson Run, Warsop, Trelawny less than 24 hours after the heart-breaking news rocked the nation and the diaspora worldwide.

• Police identify Chapleton murder victims, Rushane Barnett named as person of interest
• Chapleton Murder | Knife, bloody clothes found, person of interest in police custody

Three days on Barnett gave a “caution statement to the police” basically confessing to one of the most barbaric crimes committed in the country.

He has been slapped with five counts of murder arising from the killing of Wright, a 34-year-old mother and her four children Kimana Smith (15 years old girl); Shemari Smith (10 years old girl);

Kafana Smith (5 years old girl) and little Kishaun Henry, a baby boy only 23 months old.
Wright and Barnett are cousins.

All five deceased were found with their throats slashed and had stab wounds.

UPDATE: Rushane Barnett has been charged with five counts of murder, arising from the gruesome killing of Kimesha Wright and her four children in Clarendon. pic.twitter.com/2VNEbNL8u3

— Jamaica Constabulary Force (@JamaicaConstab) June 24, 2022

“[Barnett] was charged after intensive investigation was carried out” by a special team of investigators drawn from the three major investigative divisions in the constabulary, said Deputy

Commissioner of Police (DCP) Fitz Bailey.

Police theorised that the heinous crime stemmed from a domestic situation, which DCP Bailey hinted at.

“Nothing we do will bring back these precious lives that were brutally taken away.

“Once again I am urging people to manage their conflicts in a better way, seek the intervention of the police and other community actors before things escalate into violence,” said DCP Bailey, the officer who oversees the crime portfolio.

A court date is being finalised for Barnett.