Two get life, and one 33 years, for murder of policeman and his brother

For the ‘senseless’ and ‘unprovoked’ 2017 double murder of a policeman and his brother, two contract murderers will spend life in prison, while the mastermind will spend over 33 years behind bars.

This was the sentence handed down by Justice Brian Cottle at the High Court #1 on August 2, when Schemel ‘Jacket’ Dunbar,35; Kendine ‘Hoodie’ Douglas,36; and Richard ‘Carib’ Francis, 38, appeared for sentencing.

Initially, the three men had pleaded not guilty to the May 4, 2017 murders of Police Constable Danroy Cozier, 26, and his 19 year old brother Nicholas Cozier, whose bodies were dumped at Sion Hill Bay.

Convicted murderer Schemel ‘Jacket’ Dunbar

However, during a trial which commenced in November, 2022, accused Francis, a former policeman of Layou, changed his plea and a trial was restarted for Douglas and Dunbar of Rillan Hill who were found guilty of the murders on June 9, 2023.

On Wednesday, August 2, after being slapped with whole life sentences, the judge informed Douglas and Dunbar that after 30 years they will be eligible for a review to assess whether the aims of criminal punishment had been attained. If not, they will be reviewed again after a further three years.

Francis who pleaded guilty, was handed a determinate sentence of 40 years. However, this was reduced to 33 years and nine months, after the six years and three months spent on remand were taken into account.

Although he was not sentenced to life, there is a possibility that he can spend a longer time behind bars than his henchmen as he will not be reviewed after 30 years.

Cottle told the court that Dunbar, who was represented by Karl Williams, is married and has no children. He also said that no evidence was led in the case that Dunbar was the mastermind.

As for Douglas, members of his community described him as “helpful, reliable, and a respectful individual.” He was not known to engage in criminal activity, and persons said they were shocked when they learnt of his arrest.

Danroy Cozier, 26, and his 19 year old brother Nicholas Cozier

Douglas said he takes responsibility for the part he played, but insisted that he was not in the plan to hurt anyone, and he regrets being in the vehicle. He asked the affected family for forgiveness.

Douglas’s counsel Grant Connell, told the court that his client is no threat to society, and he is a good candidate for rehabilitation.

As for Francis, the judge said he is a high school graduate who attained six CXC passes, and he is also a father of five.

He was described as ‘peaceful’, and was ‘well liked’, and his involvement in the crime caught members of his community by ‘surprise’.

Prison authorities said his behaviour in prison has been exemplary and he is an active participant in all rehabilitation programmes.

Cottle noted that when it comes to murder, the court can impose a death sentence, whole life sentence or a determinate sentence, and a person can be detained at the courts pleasure if they are mentally ill.

He, however, said that in this case the prosecution had not sought the death penalty.

Justice Cottle highlighted that despite the ‘senseless’ killing of a police officer and his brother over a debt Francis owed, it still does not rise to the level of what the Privy Council considers the “worst of the worst cases.”

The judge said that the killers knew that one of the victims was a police officer, and noted that it was a contract killing as it was concluded by Francis that it would be more economically advantageous to pay for the murder rather than pay the cost of repairs to Danroy Cozier’s damaged vehicle.

The judge agreed with the prosecution that the seriousness of the offences was exceptionally high as two persons were murdered, and the offence was pre meditated and deliberate.

Douglas’s lawyer asked the court to impose a determinate sentence because Douglas was not part of the planning nor execution, but the judge pointed out that his actions were that of an accessory.

Cottle said that Douglas was well aware of the intentions of the other two prisoners, and he chose to participate in what he called a “scene.”

The judge agreed that he played a lesser role, but the factors that are identified as listed in the sentencing guidelines require him to adopt the starting point that he had chosen.

The judge had a starting point of a whole life sentence for both Douglas and Dunbar.

In the case of Francis who pleaded guilty, Cottle said that the appropriate starting point for him should have been a whole life sentence. However, paragraph seven of the sentencing guidelines allows that the appropriate starting point for an offender who pleads guilty, and who would have other wise faced a whole life sentence, should be a determinate sentence within the range of 30-50 years.

Counsel Ronald Marks, who represented Francis, urged the court to adopt the bottom of the range (30 years), but the judge disagreed and adopted 40 years as Francis’ starting point.

When the aggravating factors of the offence were considered, the judge found that the murder of Danroy was motivated by a significant degree of planning and pre-meditation . He also said it was unprovoked, it was done on a public road, and the bodies were disposed of on a public beach.

Mitigating was that Douglas and Francis provided some level of assistance to the police, while Dunbar did not.

Aggravating factors were found only of Dunbar; he was twice previously charged for murder but was not convicted, and he had convictions for possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition, and convictions for assault, and malicious wounding.

Mitigating, Douglas had no relevant previous convictions; and Francis was of good character and deemed a good candidate for rehabilitation.

The aggravating factors outweighed those of the mitigating, however no upward adjustments were made to any of the sentences.