Politics and Current
Testimony reveals businessman accused of organizing wife’s murder tried to leave country and pumped millions into lover’s business before insurance payout
Omar Collymore was to receive $77 million in compensation within the event of his wife’s death. Then got here the love triangle, a series of bullets on his wife and her taxi driver in St. Andrew in Jamaica and murder charges.
The 41-year-old businessman is currently on trial on charges of hiring a success man in 2018 to kill wife Simone Campbell-Collymore, and disturbing latest revelations emerged during his testimony this week.
Omar, an American citizen born in Barbados, recently testified during his trial that on the day of his wife’s funeral, he tried to flee Jamaica out of fear for his life.
He revealed in court that he had been shot at an insurance company in Kingston shortly after his wife’s death. The ambush resulted in him being hospitalized, where he was visited by a U.S. Embassy official who warned him to take extra precautions.
According to his testimony this week, after being released from the hospital, Omar visited the U.S. Embassy and was advised to leave the island for his own safety. Eventually, embassy officials escorted him to the airport.
Pressed by prosecutor Andrea Martin-Swaby concerning the strange departure date, the widower claimed he was unaware that his late wife’s funeral was happening, citing the dearth of a telephone, The Jamaica Gleaner reported.
Before the plane took off, Omar said he was pulled from the plane for questioning concerning the brazen daylight shooting of his wife and taxi driver Winston Walters. When police released him, he reportedly selected to stay overnight at a guesthouse, recently telling a court he selected the place because he and his wife had fond memories there.
Amid tensions of their marriage, Omar began a three-year affair with an unidentified woman, and his latest testimony sheds light on the character of their relationship. When prosecutor Andrea Martin-Swaby questioned Omar, he revealed that he had pumped $3 million into an organization owned by his mistress – despite the fact that his wife told him their corporations were in arrears. He claimed that he tried to get well the cash in 2017, but to no avail.
His lover, described as a gym trainer, denied receiving any financial advantages from Omar. However, she admitted that he paid her rent and took her on trips abroad, including: to her marital home in Miami, Florida, – reported the Jamaican Gleaner.
The woman previously told the court that she began an ice cream company with Omar and his friend, however the two pulled out of the deal before it went into effect and she didn’t remember how much startup money or other funding he provided.
Omar and Campbell-Collymore married in 2010 and moved to Jamaica shortly thereafter, where they lived with Campbell-Collymore’s parents until Omar’s affair disintegrated their marriage.
During the trial, text messages revealed that Campbell-Collymore was initially open to resolving the problem. However, as time passed, separation was considered and she was willing to sign a luxury vehicle deal to cut off all ties with him. It was also noted that Omar was having financial difficulties and had sought help from Campbell-Collymore before his death.
Wade Blackwood, a member of the Unruly Gang, is one of two men who shot at Campbell-Collymore in video footage of the incident. He was convicted of the crime in 2021 after pleading guilty to two counts of murder and illegal possession of a firearm. He received two life sentences, which were later reduced to life imprisonment with the chance of parole in 20 years.
Although Omar stood to make millions within the event of his wife’s death, former insurance agent Campbell-Collymore told a court in April that Omar was in search of two additional policies with a $10 million critical illness cover despite the fact that his wife already had one – suspicions concerning the beleaguered widower. His co-defendant, Michael Crayboss Adams, can also be accused of murder.