Durrant Pate/Contributor

There is a new development in the murder case of veteran journalist, Barbara Gayle, as the matter is going straight to trial, bypassing the committal proceedings in the St. Catherine parish court.

As such the case has been shifted from the Parish Court and has been transferred to the Home Circuit Court in downtown Kingston. This is based on the fact that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has tendered a voluntary bill of indictment for the case to go straight to trial at the Circuit Court, allowing for the matter to move faster through the court system.

Twenty-four-year-old Travis Ellis is to be tried for the murder of the 77-year-old retired Gleaner journalist at her home in the gated community of Caymanas Estate in Greater Portmore, St Catherine on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.

The accused is being represented by King’s Counsel, Tom Tavares-Finson and Donahue Martin. Ellis was due to make his first appearance in court in Spanish Town, St Catherine on Tuesday but with the new development, an early date is being arranged for his appearance in the Home Circuit Court.

Ellis was charged with murder and robbery with aggravation on December 24 after Gayle’s body was found with multiple stab wounds. A day later, her Mercedes-Benz motor car, which was missing from her home at the time of the murder, was found in the vicinity of Dyke Road in Gregory Park, Portmore. 

Ellis, who hails from ‘Gulf’ in Gregory Park, St Catherine was arrested hours later in the nearby Grange Lane community, where he was found hiding.

The murder of Gayle, a beloved and widely respected court reporter, shocked the nation with Prime Minister, Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader, Mark Golding national figures, who paid tribute to Gayle for her many years of service to journalism in Jamaica, in particular court reporting.