Efforts are ongoing to forgo a trial in the case of the Portmore-based mechanic who is charged with the gruesome murder of 20-year-old Khanice Jackson in the St Catherine community in March 2021.
The accused, Robert Fowler, appeared via Zoom in the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston on Friday.
The case was adjourned in October last year, as High Court Judge, Justice Vinette Graham Allen, said she wanted to address concerns regarding Fowler’s health before addressing the matter of a possible guilty plea.
The judge then ordered the relevant authorities to ensure that the accused man has his health condition attended to.
On Friday, the court was told that discussions between the prosecution and the defence have resumed with the aim of ironing out a plea deal for Fowler.
Additionally, Graham Allen has perused documents relative to the accused man’s health condition.
Fowler was further remanded in police custody until March 8, when the matter will again be mentioned.
Jackson, an accounting clerk who resided at Independence City in Portmore, went missing on March 24, 2021 after leaving home for work.
Her body was found two days later off the Dyke Road in the vicinity of the Portmore Fishing Village.
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A post-mortem examination determined that Jackson was strangled.
Fowler was taken into custody just hours after Jackson’s body was found. It was revealed by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Fitz Bailey, that the mechanic was known to the deceased, and that he would often transport her to and from work.
According to the police, during investigations, they recovered a number of items that belonged to Jackson, including a handbag and a banking card, at Fowler’s home.
Detectives were reported to have also found evidence which suggested that the victim was sexually assaulted before she was killed.
