Police Constable Noel Maitland was today found guilty of the death of his girlfriend, 24-year-old social media influencer and entrepreneur Donna-Lee Donaldson.
The jury deliberated for over three hours before returning its verdict in the Home Circuit Court this afternoon.
Maitland was charged with murder and preventing the lawful burial of a corpse.
The policeman wept as he was led away from court back into custody.
He is to be sentenced on March 13.
Donaldson has been missing since July 11, 2022, and her body has never been recovered.
During the trial, the prosecution relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, arguing that it formed an unbroken chain pointing to Maitland as the only person who could have caused Donaldson’s death.
Crown counsel highlighted blood evidence recovered from Maitland’s apartment at Chelsea Manor in St Andrew, the removal and disposal of furniture, and phone records tracking Maitland’s movements and communications after Donaldson’s disappearance.
Prosecutors also pointed to what they described as Maitland’s calculated behaviour in the days following Donaldson’s disappearance, including attempts to mislead investigators and members of her family.
The defence, however, maintained that the case was based on speculation and urged the jury to reject what it described as unreliable and incomplete evidence.
Maitland, in an unsworn statement from the dock, denied killing Donaldson, telling the court that he loved her and had no reason to harm her.
