David St. Jean of Portsmouth was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the stabbing death of Clement “Johnson” James, a 53-year-old man from Good Hope.
The sentence was passed on Friday by High Court Judge Bernie Stephenson Brooks.
A few weeks ago a nine-member jury found St. Jean guilty of murdering James on September 20, 2010.
Justice Brooks called St. Jean’s actions “callous”.
Prior to sentencing, the judge had ordered a social inquiry report on St. Jean and according to the report, he has refused to take responsibility for his actions.
According to Justice Brooks, the report states .“He blames the medical professionals, he speaks violence in the community from where he is from, he wants to kill his mother and father and walks around always armed with a weapon……he is feared by the community,”
She revealed that the report also refers to St. Jean as a “hater of homosexuals.”
“You have committed an extremely grave offence which needs to be punished appropriately and I hope you use your time of incarceration to reflect on your actions and take the necessary counseling,” the judge told St. Jean in court on Friday.
During the trial St. Jean, in an unsworn statement, said he was walking on the Indian River Bridge about 3:30pm on Monday 20th September, 2010 when he observed James on the opposite side of the bridge “staring at me in a sexual manner while holding his crotch and licking his lips”.
He claimed he walked across the bridge to warn the deceased when a scuffle ensued between them and that he was “defending himself.”
St. Jean was represented by Bernadette Lambert.
hold strong smokie. i know that you are a good person.
ive been to jail and homos are just a few and it is not forced on anyone
I do time in stocky already and Mister must b crying all now because plenty fellas tht playing badman on the street is big battyman in the prison. Mister should have just ignore de man and walk away instead of having to go and have to burn 25 years jail for nothing making it worse he have to be in contact with so much fellas tht into their nastiness up there. I wonder how he going n react when they start making advances on him
is now he will kill wen he meet homosexuals in stockie
man who live by the sword must die by the sword. Killing a man because he is homosexual and he gets 25 years. He should be hanged.
we need the death penalty
Why is he covering his head now his a coward , he
should think of being one before he committed this
gruesome crime.
Life behind bars like Webb,that is what he shoul get but at least he will be in there a while. How we sure the man hold his crotch when he saw David. David was just trying to make an excuse for his action.
“You did the crime, you must do the time.” May he find it in his heart to ask God to forgive him. He has 25 years of no bills. Enjoy.
25 years, that is a joke, the man will be out in about 11-12 years and leave a normal life, forming the fool like he was doing before jail. I just do get it how someone can get that short (little) sentence for killing someone else, he should get a minimum of 100 years without parole which would be about 50 years or so, so when he get out he will be in his 70’s and might not be thinking of something like that anymore. We have to send a strong statement to the poeple out there who believe you can just take someone life and walk the street in a few years and in some cases months and days.
100% agree. He should and will get hard labor i would have thought. 100 years for sure!!
He took someone’s life he did the crime his has
to do the time.
Well he will have plenty to hate when he in stokie and they fix him good
In 12 and a half years, the murderer will be out. Expected mr to rotten up there at Stock Farm. Soon he will be to killing again after coming out.
they will only take out 1/3 of the 25 yrs so he will take 19 yrs
less the time he spent in jail before his case So unfair, so unreal.
this might be so true but i hope he reflect on what he has done and give the almighty a chance to reign in his heart only god can forgive sins.we also need to get rid of the lodge and freemasons as well because the are the devils advocate all these bring curse on the country the big cross thats at morne bruce this should also be broken down the whore church of revelation 17 should also be close down all this is tying down society.all those spiritual wickednees thats around we should be praying more againts them.all those vein repitition prayers with the rosary. the worshipping of idols.calling the priest father and confessing to him we must also stop.praying to the virgin mary we must also stop to many whore churches out there committing spiritual fornication.to many ppl out there are obeying mens commandment and not god all this brings curse on the country. to many disobey god.we must pray harder as a ppl to many of us in the dance club in carnival in the bars drinking rum and bois bande and we forget god to many ppl disobey gods commandment to many prostitution to many buggery to many lesbianism going on in this place take heed my ppl
Thats so true people have turn their backs on GOD and are deeply into the things of the world.many people have dark shadows over their eyes that they can’t see the truth.there is alot of generational curse wounding in families and we need to rise up and open our eyes and start some serious parying..the genaration who has to run Dominica is going down the drain.wake up my ppl
Twenty five years is a lot of years. Some of us may not be still alive then. I hope it is 25 years without parole, i.e., he must serve the full amount of years and will not be released for good behaviour.
When that 25 years are up, he should go before a Parole Board and be questioned as to his eligibility for parole and/or release with no conditions. If DA does not have a Parole Board, I hope by then it has one. In fact, one should be immediately instituted including a Rehab Centre. Some felons are released and are not remorseful. When they get out they are liable to re-offend and in a worst manner. Since he is not remorseful, he will need to be counseled and rehabilitate. I hope this works for him.
this bwoy ah jus an idiot dey go show u wha is real batty man in stock farm FOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
hole on strong smokie dred one day u must see sun lite again ,nt u first dat kill my nigga stay strong ,d nolimit homies dre and dat
He already prepare him self for the firing squad,by covering his face. Justice is a bitch!
St.Jean applying sin to correct another sin does not solve anything. He should face infinite jail time. When he does serve his time, who next he might target? The adulterers?
Help! 
Are you Kidding me? This guy deserved life behind bars!!!
well thats one unlucky murderer.all the lucky ones go free.
Only 25 years? wow
justice is well served. one cant take a mans life because he is gay. THANKS TO THE JUDGE FOR THIS JUSTICE!
@ hmmm
He did something extremely wrong, killing the man. It was so simple, all he had to do was ignore the man and pretend that he did not see him and walk away. If he is so inclined, he could have asked God for patience and help to ignore him and said a prayer for him too.
If he saw the man again and he repeated his action, he could have lodged a complaint with the Police, asking that they inform him to cease his attitude. They are too quick to injure and murder for the simplest of actions, taking matters into their hands. Although they love to be free, it is obvious to me that they do not treasure their freedom. They should know if they murder, eventually they will be caught and what the repercussion will be.
thank u misss bernie stephenson brooks,its time we send a message for this merciless thugs who think the can just take the law into their own hand.for to long we have been begging for justice in this country im a little pleased with the sentence though it should have been a life time with hard labour.thats one criminal thats of the street for a long time, mean while i hope the government is seriously looking at the death penalty.
@ wells
It is also thanks to those who specifically comment on this Website who provide their opinion that finally, those authorities are paying heed and taking action. Give yourself a pat on the back. The people have spoken and voiced their concerns.
boy all now so david to get the death mr wanted to kill his own mother and all death is death see the man who killed the bajan he get death and david going to take like 10 stright years
All batty man must die !!! I can see u don die allready ! Corver ur face !! Cuz is up there that have batty man !!!
Yeah, cover your face now, but your rear will be exposed though. Can’t cover that up there.
hurricane david take a rest and reflect
There is something to be said for these so called “haters of homsexuals.” If I don’t like eating eggs then I simply stay away from them and don’t purchase them when I go to the store. Me constantly speaking about my hate of eggs, assessing their dangers to me and decrying them only speaks to some fascination on my part. These “haters of homosexuals” need to figure out what it is about themselves that makes them so detest homosexuality. As a heterosexual male I don’t condone homosexuality, but what a man wants to do behind closed doors is his business none of mine at all.
@ CAH-C-BRUCE
You do know these words, “Love the sinner hate the sin.” This does not mean all those who hate this type of practice hate them. However, there are those who hate them enough to kill them and this is wrong. He should have simply left the man alone. He was so angry at his actions that he killed him and that was wrong. Under no circumstances, “Thou shalt not kill.”
This has just crossed my mind. The man may have known his feeling and so he may have willfully acted as a means of teasing him. People must know the difference when someone is teasing or not. He was not able to differentiate between the two; never gave it a thought and murdered him. Whatever the man did, whatever he felt, he did not touch him and so this young man should have merely gone on his way and ignore him. If only he had done that his victim would be alive and he would be free. They never think twice. As the saying, “Temper is so good a thing, we should not lose it.”
so true
obviously you did not know Johnson… Johnson was not one to tease people. He used to walk with his head down afraid to look people in the eyes. on more than one occasion he went to the police station to make a report on this same st. jean. i would say that this was premeditated murder because before he was killed, johnson had been threatened by this murderer.
well well well justice was served. and he hates homos but he going to get his husband tonight.
Poor smokey, he needed counselling, thats what he need, not 25years behind bars, i know him personnally, and i believe is a little boy gone astray, wen moda not sitting down and talk to thier children and going about their own business and fada living woman with children and not turning back, yu see what does happen to dem; on the other hand, i blame the health system for the man deaath, because he was an AIDs victim, onlookers on the scene left him to bleed on the ground, the police was afraid to touch him and the nurse at the portsmouth hospital did not want anything to do with him, dat african nurse there, she should be fired!! is nto until the man reach PMH he was taken care of, imagine the man was still talking wen he reached PMH? but unfortunately he succumed to his injury, i say, punish smokey for his actions but the man did nto have to die; i believe they could have brought a charge of man-slaughter, not murder;who dat give man how many lick of scissors going scotch free, who put gun in boy head and kill on spot going scotch free but because the boy doh have anybody for him he getting 25 years? anyway i guess justice is served and i pray that the 25 will turn to something like 10 and he will one day, be back into society a changed person
@possie massive: if david did not put his blood outside he would not have to bleed to death. That was a callous and senseless murder. AIDS victim or not, gay or not, the man had the same rights as we all. His blood should never have been spilled that day, for no one to want to touch him.
Hmm. Hope in a few years time we doh hear mister escape from prison.
well he need steel underwear now it should be 50yrs
now dat’s a damn shame
webb gets LIFE SENTENCE for killin a foreigner… St.jean gets 25 yrs for killin a local…
Dean Davis gets 9 yrs for killin gold teeth…
Garvin walks away free for killin a local…
stebin walks away free for killin a local…
and d list goes on and on…..
wat kind of message r u all sending??? IS IT OK TO KILL OUR LOCALS???
In this day and age allu want to use such an outdated mode of ‘punishment ‘. How many of u would like to be hung? I mean tell the authorities to invest in some injections but hanging…….no man.
Two murder trial in possie.One go free the other serves the time. POSSIE PEOPLE RAISE ALL U CHILDREN RIGHT. BRING THEM TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD.PRAY WITH ALL U CHILDREN.OK…
Isn’t homosexual illegal in our country , so why charge men which uplift the law of dominica ,instead war on marijuana let’s start a war against homosexuals
Sot
That doesnt make any sense u idiot… stupid!
Go back to school, please! How can homosexual be illegal???
lol 45 homosexuals disliked
in dominica it is
shatta doh have good head na. awa.
you should be lucky that there isnt a war againts stupidity. you would certainly be a victim.
@ shatta
There you go again. Fair is fair. Even though it is illegal, he had no right to murder him. This should not be explained to you or you should not have to be reminded that it is against the Law to murder others. People do not murder others because of their personal lifestyle. Furthermore, the man did not touch him. He only made gestures. Even then, he could have walked away. It takes two and people must avoid confrontations which may prove fatal.
If for instance, the man was alive and he took him to Court, he, the victim could have defended himself and won the case ‘because he did not touch the man who is an adult’. Does this not make sense to you?
boy, i hate to hear you talk… Johnson didnt make any gestures to smoky.. D man wasnt that kind of person… as if he was even afraid of people, Much less to make gestures to mr.
All how this is an illegal act in the eyes of God and man, the these people are humans and we should not hunt them down like animals. What about the person that are straight and going after CHILDREN? Watch what you say, God knows all of us.
i can see something is happenning but we still need the death penalty.
so true we really need it and more magistrates like tiyanny
He hates homosexuals. Well, he is going to a place where his urges will drive him to commit the very act he apprantly despises.
maybe with you, if yuo will make it happen for him, stupid guy
That’s true or he may have to be put in isolation because it may be war in there…
telmanh neg ki tay an prizon a temp avant. Puchi yo pa taka buga yonelot. Ola sey grand nomme apwan layko sa la?
When will we see our politcians brought before our courts… When?
Bravo! Keep it up Dominica.. Take back control
That not enough..
Coward what you doing with your head covered?
chhhhh things really tightenin up man ..isay mr wud get a 8 to 10 in the pen…well people get allu act together..any trouble call on the law !
looks like the judges finally opening their eyes!
You took the words out of my mind…finally
Now I can say that the law system is working in DA, what we need is to bring back HANGING
Also we need a new prison
That may seem to be a solution but it is not. There needs to be more coactive and proactive methods in the police system (community policing)and I believe things would improve then…
Are you kidding me? This guy deserved life behind bars!!!!