‘Justice was done’

The family of Melissa Silvera say they are not pleased with the possibility that her widower, former Member of Parliament (MP) Jolyan Silvera, could be eligible for parole after being sentenced to nearly 21 years for her death.

“We were a bit surprised by the parole period. As a family, we would have wished that there was no entitlement to parole. But if the justice system allows it and it is within the law, our feelings are our feelings, but somebody’s entitlement is their entitlement,” said Walter Davis, a cousin of the deceased, who was among a large group of relatives present at the sentencing hearing in the Home Circuit Court yesterday.

Davis’ comments followed Chief Justice Bryan Sykes’ ruling on Friday, which sentenced Silvera to 20 years and 10 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with his wife’s 2023 death.

The chief justice imposed 20 years and 10 months for manslaughter and 20 years for using a firearm to commit a felony, with both sentences to run concurrently. Silvera is eligible for parole after serving 13 years.

Dressed in a grey pantsuit with a blue shirt, Silvera appeared calm during the hearing, occasionally showing a hint of a smile, though there were moments when he looked remorseful while his family members, who declined to speak, sat nearby looking on.

Davis said his family had hoped the court would impose the maximum sentence.

‘A LITTLE UNHAPPY’

“We are happy that justice was done, but we are a little unhappy. We thought that the aggravating factors would have outweighed the mitigating factors,” he said.

“All in all, we are satisfied with the length, but perhaps we could have been a little happier. The full 25 years is where we would have been 100 per cent satisfied.”

He added that the family is focusing on remembering Melissa Silvera beyond the circumstances of her death.

“The whole point of this was to humanise Melissa, that she was not just an ex-politician’s wife, not just another female who was murdered, but a person, a mother,” Davis said. “Her memory will always be alive, and the movement will continue.”

The family, he said, has also been supporting the couple’s children who discovered their mother’s body in their Stony Hill, St Andrew home.

“The boys are well and are settling into school. They are receiving counselling,” Davis said.

He noted that the trauma has been particularly difficult for the children, who lost their grandmother only months before their mother’s death.

“You can imagine losing their grandmother six months before losing their mother, and then facing this situation with their father. As adults, none of us can deal with that, much less children. It will be difficult for them, but they are strong, and we as a family will continue to wrap our arms around them.”

Meanwhile, Director of Public Prosecutions Claudette Thompson said she believes justice was served.

“For manslaughter, and we got 20 years and 10 months. Sometimes, for murder, the sentence is just that, or even less, so justice has been achieved,” she said.

DEFENDED PROSECUTION’S DECISION

Thompson also defended the prosecution’s decision to accept Silvera’s guilty plea to manslaughter rather than proceed with a murder trial, citing the impact on key witnesses, including the couple’s young children.

“When you talk about going to trial, you are talking about getting witnesses to come to court and give testimony.

In this case we are talking about putting two little boys in the witness box to speak about what they say their father did in respect of their mother, and that is something that needs to be taken into consideration,” she said.

Lead prosecutor Dwayne Green, acting assistant DPP, added that the decision followed careful assessment of the evidence and consultations within the Office of the DPP. Acting Assistant DPP Debra Bryan also prosecuted the case.

“Each case turns on its own merit and we had to make a decision based on the evidence, the witnesses and the law,” Green said.

Defence attorney Peter Champagnie said he felt that the justice system won.

However, while highlighting that the judge had accepted the “provocation defence”, he sought to push back against claims of a cover-up.

“I think it’s very important to emphasise that misinformation about the deceased being shot in certain areas, or a history of abuse, or a cover-up, all of those claims were demonstrated to be false,” Champagnie said.

Asked whether he was suggesting there had been no cover-up, effectively dismissing the finding referenced by the judge, Champagnie said the reference made by the court related mainly to the firearm and actions taken immediately after the incident.

“The judge, as I understood it, made reference to the firearm and certain things that it is said were done to the firearm,” Champagnie said.

He noted that the defence had engaged its own ballistic expert from overseas and did not necessarily agree with the suggestion that there had been an attempt to conceal evidence.

“So, I would want to refute the issue of cover-up and, to be quite frank with you, it didn’t really feature heavily in the case.”

At the same time, he said, “[Jolyan Silvera] gave a statement, we can’t shy away from that, that did not point to any culpability on his part.”

The King’s Counsel, while acknowledging that there were alterations made to the bedroom where the incident occurred, argued that those did not amount to an attempt to conceal evidence.

In the meantime, Champagnie said it was too early to determine whether Jolyan Silvera would appeal, especially given the possibility of parole after 13 years. Attorney Patrice Riley also represented Jolyan Silvera

Melissa Silvera, 42, was found dead at the couple’s Stony Hill home in November 2023. Her death, initially believed to have occurred in her sleep, was later determined to be the result of multiple gunshot wounds. Police launched a murder investigation, and Silvera was arrested a month later, charged with murder and using a firearm to commit a felony.

In February 2026, just as his trial was set to begin, Jolyan Silvera pleaded guilty to manslaughter and not guilty to murder, citing provocation during an argument with his wife.

According to Jolyan Silvera’s account, he shot his wife after she allegedly provoked him during a heated argument. He claimed she physically assaulted him and made disturbing statements, including suggesting he engage in sexual acts with her sister and mother.

Silvera said his wife became increasingly confrontational, lunging at him and reaching for his firearm while accusing him of killing their son in 2017. She also allegedly asked “why he don’t fling the rest a pickney in a the pool and kill dem too”, statements which he said pushed him over the edge, prompting him to fire at her.

Sykes, in his sentencing remarks, described Jolyan Silvera’s actions as deliberate and voluntary, noting that the former MP appeared more strategic than remorseful in the lead-up to his guilty plea.

“Yes, he accepted responsibility, but it seems the acceptance came after the quality work of the local ballistic experts. It suggested an effort to disguise, cover up … and the science refuted that,” the judge said.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com