Trelawny man sentenced for 51 years for murdering child
‘Boy Blue’ to serve 20 years in concurrent sentences
WESTERN BUREAU:
ANTHONY FINDLAY, who pleaded guilty to the March 12, 2023 murder of two-year-old Adrian Campbell of Mack Hill district, Trelawny, was sentenced to a combined total of 51 years in prison in the Trelawny Circuit Court on Tuesday. He had previously pleaded guilty to the three charges, which included murder, arising from the incident.
Findlay, popularly known as ‘Boy Blue’ in his Mack Hill home community and who was 20 years old at the time of the incident, was sentenced to 16 years for murder, 15 years for shooting, and 20 years for the use of a prohibited weapon to commit murder. However, because the sentences will run concurrently, he will only serve the highest of the three sentences – 20 years.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Winston Milton, who had expressed outrage at the time of the incident and promised to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the family of the deceased child got justice, told The Gleaner that he was quite pleased with the outcome of the case.
“This is an example where the people would have seen where justice was done, thanks to the fact that they assisted the police in the investigative process,” said Milton. “There are times when people know of things but don’t assist in the investigations, and, as a result, allow persons who should be convicted to walk (go free). So I am very pleased with the cooperation we got, and I want to urge them to continue to support the efforts of the police.”
In speaking to the quick turnaround in the case between the time that Findlay was arrested and the conclusion of the case against him, Milton believes his decision to enter a guilty plea helped, albeit noting that the decision may have been sparked by the volume and the quality of the evidence that the police had gathered against him.
“I believe the lawyer would have advised his client (Findlay) to enter a guilty plea, because of the case that went before the court. He recognised that it would be better to throw himself before the mercy of the court than to face trial, because of how strong the counts against him were,” noted Milton. While he is down to serve 20 years, he will be eligible for parole after serving 10 years, based on a ruling by the judge.”
Based on the case outlined against Findlay, on the day of the killing, at about 7:30 p.m., the child, his mother, and his mother’s boyfriend were sitting in a car outside an ice cream shop in Mack Hill when they were approached by Findlay, with whom they had had a dispute several days earlier.
Without warning, Findlay pulled a handgun from his waistband, and, on realising what was happening, the boyfriend drove off the car, but not before Findlay fired one shot. At a safe distance away from the shooting scene, the boyfriend stopped the vehicle to examine what damage was done. It was then that it was realised that young Adrian, who was standing in the vehicle behind him, was hit by the bullet which pierced his headrest.
The child was rushed to the Falmouth Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Findlay, who fled the scene after the shooting, was found hiding behind a supermarket in Duncans, Trelawny, some three hours later. He was arrested and charged with murder, illegal possession of a firearm, and using a prohibited weapon to commit murder.