Petrelis Files

No Charges Filed in Murder of
Gay UK Consul in Jamaica

John Terry, a longtime honorary consul of the United Kingdom government to Jamaica, was found dead from strangulation at his home in Montego Bay in early September. Across the pond, down in Kingston, and around the United States, Terry's brutal murder attracted widespread media and blogosphere interest.

In mid October, the Jamaican police announced some arrests in the case, but there have been no follow up announcements or stories since then. If charges were filed against any suspects, I'm not aware of it. Were the suspects questioned and let go? What is the status of the investigation at this point?

I'm disappointed the extremely competitive UK newspapers haven't seen fit to write follow up pieces, asking the Jamaicans to explain why no one has been charged with Terry's slaying.

The PinkPasty blog, published by Malcolm Lidbury from Cornwall, UK, today carries an article about five violent attacks on gay men this year, including the death of Terry, but it mentions nothing about charges of anyone in the matter.

Yesterday, I submitted a FOIA request to the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, seeking copies of their files on Terry's murder, and I hope to have FCO files within a month. I don't expect to learn anything new about the status of the investigation, if the Jamaican police are still conducting one, but I believe FCO notes will show how this ministry handled the death with their Jamaican counterparts.

The reason why I write this post is to remind the gay community of Terry's unsolved and unprosecuted murder. I hope Terry's death doesn't become one more act of violence against a gay person in Jamaica, in which justice is not served.