Men charged in Slickianna murder case secure bail hearing dates
Published:Thursday | November 24, 2022 | 12:09 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
RUSHAWN PATTERSON and Rohan Rose, the two men facing charges in connection with the murder of 35-year-old social media personality Aneka ‘Slickianna’ Townsend, have had their bail hearings scheduled.
The men were given the dates by presiding High Court Justice Andrea Thomas following their first appearance in the St James Circuit Court on Wednesday. Their cases, which were heard separately, had been earlier transferred from the St James Parish Court due to a bill of voluntary indictment which would treat the hearing of their matters in the Circuit Court as new matters.
Patterson, 33, is charged with murder in relation to Townsend’s death, while Rose, a 47-year-old security guard, is charged with misprision of a felony for failing to report the crime.
During the brief hearing of Patterson’s case, attorney Michelle Thomas requested that her client be granted a date for a bail application to be made. December 15 was for the hearing.
Moments later, Rose had his bail hearing set for November 28, after attorney-at-law Martyn Thomas took issue with the prosecution’s request to make checks as to the defendant’s address.
“He (Rose) has been in custody since November 4, about three weeks, plus he has lost his job and his livelihood is affected. He poses no risk of flight, and he was never hiding from the police,” Thomas argued, adding that Rose should have been offered bail when his case was before the Parish Court.
Both men were remanded.
Townsend’s body was found floating in the sea in Reading, St James, on October 21. A post-mortem examination determined that she was strangled.
According to police reports, Townsend had travelled from Kingston to Montego Bay on October 20 and was later picked up by Patterson, following which they visited a restaurant in Hanover and a guest house in St James.
It is further reported that during the night, an argument developed between the two, following which Patterson strangled Townsend and disposed of her body.