Durrant Pate/Contributor

Former Member of Parliament Jolyan Silvera will know his prison time this morning when Chief Justice Bryan Sykes hands down his sentence for killing his wife, Melissa, in November 2023.

The 52-year-old Silvera, who was originally on trial for murder, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in February and to using a firearm to commit an offence for the fatal shooting of his wife. Justice Sykes accepted the manslaughter plea at the start of his trial to much consternation from some quarters in society.

Today’s sentence hearing in the Gun Court has been opened to the media and the wider public, with proceedings being streamed live on the judiciary’s social media platforms.

The maximum sentence for manslaughter in Jamaica is life imprisonment, but noted defence attorney Bert Samuels says Silvera faces 15 years to life imprisonment.

Samuels argued that Justice Sykes will weigh several competing factors before determining the appropriate punishment, highlighting that the court will look at the circumstances the accused described about the shooting, including what caused him to lose control. The presiding judge will also consider that he pleaded guilty and did not drag out the case.

Among the other considerations will be the time Silvera has already spent behind bars, for which he must receive credit. The former legislator has been behind bars since January 18, 2024, six days after his wife’s funeral.

Samuels contended that the judge could stipulate a fixed period that must be served before Silvera becomes eligible for parole. 

Melissa Silvera was found dead at their Stony Hill, St Andrew home on November 10, 2023, with the accused on the first day of trial, providing a witness statement in which he confessed to shooting his wife repeatedly during a dispute in their home.