Witness: Collymore wanted wife accused of hiring her own killers
A CLAIM has been made that Omar Collymore approached one of his wife’s killers in jail and told him to tell the court that it was his wife who had ordered a hit on him, but it backfired, resulting i n her death.
The shocking revelation was made by a former gangster, Wade Blackwood, who in March 2021, pleaded guilty to the shooting deaths of 32-yearold businesswoman Simone Campbell-Collymore and taxi driver Winston Walter, 36.
The two were shot and killed outside the gate of the businesswoman’s Forest Ridge apartment i n Red Hills, St Andrew, on January 2, 2018, by two men, who were captured on camera.
Blackwood, who is currently serving two life sentences and will be eligible for parole after 20 years, testified yesterday that Collymore tried to influence him to lie after he told him that he was going to plead guilty.
“Him tell me, me must plea like dat, meaning him a go tell me how me must plead.
“Him tell me say when we go court, me must tell the judge or the court say a him wife pay me fi kill him and it turn the next way,” Blackwood recalled.
Asked by the prosecutor what he meant, he answered: “That him wife pay me fi kill him and the deal never went right and me turn around her and kill her.”
“Was that how it go? “the prosecutor asked.
“No, Miss,” Blackwood said emphatically.
He further shared that he had never spoken to Campbell-Collymore.
Blackwood was initially charged with Collymore, Michael Adams, Dwayne Pink, and Shaquile Edwards for the double murder but pleaded guilty.
According to the murder-convict-turned-prosecution witness, Collymore had also approached him earlier and told him that he was still going to pay him for the murder.
Collymore reportedly promised him a truck to put in his father’s business.
Earlier in the trial, Blackwood, who was seen clearly on a video recording shooting into the front-passenger window of the taxi in which Campbell-Collymore was travelling, said that the man who forced him to do the killing and who was the second shooter, told him he was being paid $2 million.
FAMILY THREATENED
He identified the man only as Jim, the leader of the Brook Valley Unruly Gang, which he had been associating with since 15. However, he later shared that he was informed while in prison that the police had killed Jim.
According to Blackwood, a day before the actual murder, Jim came to him and told him that he would have to kill a woman to pay for his gun, which the police had taken from Blackwood’s brother.
Jim reportedly threatened that if Blackwood refused, he, or his mother, or another family member would be killed.
Blackwood told the court further that Jim told him that he would not be giving him any money from the $2 million.
The witness, however, testified that Collymore did not know about the situation with Jim when he promised to pay him.
Blackwood also testified that when Jim told him about the murder and gave him a glock firearm, Adams, Pink, “Skinny Man” and another man were present.
He told the court that Adams was the contract killer and that while they were in Brook Valley, Adams, after getting a call, told them that the man who ordered the hit wanted them to drive up to the house as the lady was about to leave.
Blackwood later testified that he found out that Collymore was the man who had ordered the hit after Adams pointed him out when they were in a holding area at the Supreme Court.
He said that that was his first time seeing Collymore and that he did not know before the incident that the target was his wife.