Psychiatrists declare mother unfit for trial in infant’s death
Published:Wednesday | October 15, 2025 | 12:07 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Two psychiatrists have concluded that a St James woman accused of killing her infant daughter is unfit to stand trial.
Shamoya Green is charged with the death of her five-month-old daughter, Destiny Brown, who she reportedly threw from the roof of their Lilliput home in December 2023.
During a fitness-to-plea hearing in the St James Circuit Court on Tuesday, psychiatrists Dr Myo Kyaw Oo and Dr Joni-Gaye McLeary – both attached to the Department of Corrections – testified via video link.
Oo, who assessed Green nine times between May 2024 and September 2025, diagnosed her with psychosis and a seizure disorder. He said these conditions impair her ability to understand the murder charge or instruct her attorney, Gillian Haughton.
“Psychosis includes auditory hallucinations and irrational speech. Ms Green hears voices ... when, in fact, there is no one talking, and she had frequent episodes of fits while at South Camp,” Oo said, referencing Green’s detention at South Camp Adult Correctional Facility.
He said she used expletives during one interview and could not explain why she was arrested. She has no recollection of the incident.
McLeary, who evaluated Green 20 times between May 2024 and September 2025, reported similar findings. She described Green as suffering from persecutory delusions and frequent conversations with unseen individuals.
CONVERSATIONS WITH UNSEEN INDIVIDUALS
“She has the belief that individuals around her are constantly trying to harm her, and she believes she is always in danger ... . Ms Green would constantly be having conversations with unseen individuals during our interviews, and recently, she would be speaking to her children while having the interview, having a full conversation with her children [who were not present] ,” said McLeary.
“Ms Green’s psychosis is, most times, exacerbated by a seizure episode,” she added, noting that Green has had between five and seven admissions at the Kingston Public Hospital since her arrest.
Both doctors dismissed the possibility that Green was fabricating her symptoms to avoid prosecution.
The hearing continues this morning when a seven-member jury will decide Green’s fitness to plead.
According to police reports, on December 6, 2023, Green became upset after her common-law husband refused to talk with her about their relationship. She allegedly took Destiny to the roof of their third-floor home and threw the child onto a concrete pit. Destiny later died at hospital.