Man pleads guilty to Coral Ark murder and wounding cases

Murder accused Kadeem Edwards has admitted in court that he gunned down 27-year-old Joseph “Juba” James. It is the first murder trial in years to be done in under a year from the date of arrest to conviction.
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Anthony Armstrong and Crown Counsel Shannon Jones-Gittens accepted Edwards’ guilty plea to the capital offence Monday morning before High Court Justice Keith Thom.
Edwards also admitted guilt to wounding Gagerton Gooch and Onika Simon with intent to cause them grievous bodily harm.
He has been remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison while he awaits his sentence which is scheduled for December 1.
It was approximately 8:40 pm on October 31, 2016 that Edwards opened fired on James while they were aboard the party boat, the Coral Ark.
At the time of the incident, the boat was at the Deep Water Harbour, loaded with passengers who were partying ahead of the November 1 Independence Day celebrations. Gooch and Simon were hit by bullets when Edwards opened fire on James during an argument.