By Anastasha Elliott
Jovanna Merritt was found guilty in the high court for stabbing her sister in the back with an ice pick.
Merritt was facing two counts of wounding with intent and unlawful wounding.
Justice Francis Belle following the jury’ guilty verdict on both counts fined the young mother, $2800.
She was first fined $1300 to be paid to her sister in one year and another $1500 to be paid to the court in six months. Failing to pay the latter sum in the allotted time, Jovanna would be sentenced to a term of 18 months in prison.
The prosecution in its opening remarks stated that Jovanna Merritt on December 11, 2004 stabbed her sister Melissa Merritt in the back with an ice pick.
The prosecution led by District Prosecutor Vincent Warner called four witnesses to testify, including Melissa.
The first witness, Dr. Cameron Wilkinson a surgeon at the JNF General Hospital testified that on December 11, 2004 he examined Melissa who was suffering from “two puncture wounds to the left posterior chest and a subsequent collapse left lung.”
He said he conducted surgery on Melissa and inserted a chest tube to assist her breathing and admitted her to the surgical ward where she stayed until her discharge on December 20, 2004.
The doctor described Melissa’s injuries as serious and life threatening.
Melissa testified next. She said that on the evening at approximately 9 p.m., she visited her sisters’ home at Herbert Street, Newtown, as she usually does.
Melissa said when she got there she called her sister and she responded.
She gave her a message from another relative. She then accused her sister, Jovanna, of telling a lie to her boyfriend. Jovanna denied doing so.
Melissa added that she also told Jovanna that she had told another person about what it was alleged that she had said and Jovanna got angry and slammed the door on her.
Melissa said she opened the door and asked Jovanna, “how you could just blow out just like that, because I say I told Morya what you said?”
“Jovanna started getting on with me and telling me to get out of her place. So I told her to give me my things. But she came and chuck me instead and I kept asking for my things,” testified Melissa.
She added that Jovanna kept telling her to get out of her place and she in turn kept asking her for her things that she had for her. “She chuck me again and we started fighting.”
The two sisters fought for a short while before parting.
“We stopped and then Jovanna started buising me. I told her to give me my things and she came and chuck me again and we started fighting again,” said Melissa.
Melissa said she had seen Jovanna pick up a knife and an ice pick. She saw put down the knife but not the ice pick.
While they were fighting Melissa said she felt the stab in her back but didn’t think anything of it because it did not occur to her that Jovanna would stab her.
Although persons were outside looking in on the altercation, only one person tried to stop them. A man they both called Steadman, who Melissa said came and parted them.
She said when Steadman pushed her she fell down and she looked up at Jovanna and asked her if she knew she stabbed her.
Jovanna, according to Melissa, started crying and apologising.
Melissa said she dragged herself to the phone and called their brother and told him what happened. She said she told Jovanna she was feeling cold. Melissa testified that Jovanna got a cloth and wrapped it around her.
Melissa told the court that she remembers her brother showing up and then the ambulance. Her next memory is of being in the hospital.
