Authorities in St Michael have levied serious criminal charges against a local man in connection with the death of 51-year-old Shanell Smith and a deliberate house fire that led to the discovery of her body.
The 54-year-old suspect, a resident of Bank Hall where the incident unfolded, faces two counts: arson and murder. The tragedy unfolded on March 27, when emergency services responded to a raging residential fire in the Bank Hall neighborhood. After crews successfully extinguished the blaze, they made the grim discovery of Smith’s body inside the damaged property.
The accused has been identified as Ricardo Okella Stanford. He is set to make his first court appearance before District ‘A’ Criminal Court on April 7, where legal proceedings in the case will formally get underway. Local authorities confirmed the details of the charges and upcoming court date in an official statement.