Gabriel King’s Mom Still Refuses Phone Access After Court Order

After months of denied phone access to Gabriel King’s mother’s phone, the court ruled in favour of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to gain any inkling of evidence there may be on the device, in order to move the investigation of King’s murder along. However, access to the phone is still being withheld.

Nine-year-old Gabriel King was murdered on January 13, 2022, by a knife slash to the throat. The incident was initially reported to the St. James police by the deceased mother as a carjacking, but the boy was later found, a few minutes later by dispatched lawmen who were briefed that the child was still inside the car, in the backseat. The bizarre incident has left many baffled.

The reason why the phone, an iPhone 13 Pro Max, is being withheld is unknown but according to the Jamaica Observer, the lawyer of Amoi Leon-Issa, Chuckwuemeka Cameron, told them that he was directed to “apply for leave for a judicial review”. No additional information was given.

Sasha Ashley, senior parish court judge, gave Leon-Issa a deadline of up to Thursday, November 24 to allow access and provide the password to her phone so that the data on the device can be analyzed. Leon-Issa is not permitted to be present during this legalized search, but her attorney could stand-in.

Gabriel’s mother (Amoi Leon-Issa) was first ordered to cooperate with the authorities by giving them access to her phone during a court proceeding on September 10, however, the 48-hour deadline came and went without any moves being made by Leon-Issa to play along. Another ruling was issued due to this where she was given the same directive on Friday, November 18, this time with a 6-day deadline which was also ignored.

Attorney Cameron indicated that he would issue an appeal to have the ruling overturned, but according to Clifford Chambers, Head of Police Area One Assistant Commissioner of Police, Cameron has yet to file a stay of proceedings which in turn means that the prior ruling by the court remains in effect. A stay of proceedings refers to a court ruling that can halt or suspend a trial either temporarily or permanently.

Commissioner Chambers mentioned that in order for an appeal to be filed, a stay must first come into play. The authorities expect to be back in court on Friday to get the prior court order effectuated.