Jamie Young Murder Trial Delayed as Court Weighs Maximum Sentence Indication

Jamie Young’s murder trial has been delayed until 2027, but before then, the court will give him an indication of the maximum sentence he could face if he pleads guilty.  Young is charged with the murder of thirty-year-old Burrell Boom bus driver Damion Dominique Baptist, who was shot on the Philip Goldson Highway in Ladyville on March sixteenth, 2024.  The trial was scheduled to begin last week. However, defence attorney Dr. Lynden Jones and the prosecution entered plea discussions. On Friday, Jones told Justice Candace Nanton that those talks had not produced an agreement and the defence was prepared to proceed to trial.  With no remaining trial dates available this year, Justice Nanton invited the parties to consider a Maximum Sentence Indication, or MSI. Jones accepted the offer on Young’s behalf.  The indication would allow Young to consider the maximum sentence the court would impose in the circumstances presented before deciding whether to enter a guilty plea. It is not a conviction, and Young can still proceed to trial.  The defence was directed to file its submissions and agreed facts by four this afternoon. Justice Nanton is scheduled to deliver the indication on Friday afternoon.  The charge stems from an alleged pursuit along the highway. According to police, Baptist was driving with Young’s former girlfriend, Laneedrah Dawson, when Young allegedly approached in a pickup, threatened them with a firearm and followed their car.  Police allege that shots were fired during the pursuit and that, near Our Lady of the Way Roman Catholic School, Baptist was struck in the head. He lost control of the car and crashed into a lamppost. He was taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.