Key ruling expected today in Donna-Lee Donaldson trial
Published:Friday | January 9, 2026 | 12:08 AMTanesha Mundle/Staff Reporter
Justice Leighton Pusey is expected to rule today on whether Constable Noel Maitland has a case to answer in the murder of his girlfriend, Donna-Lee Donaldson, as well as the charge of preventing the lawful burial of a corpse arising from her disappearance in July 2022.
Both the prosecution and the defence made oral submissions yesterday after having earlier filed written arguments with the court following the close of the Crown’s case.
The 24-year-old entrepreneur was reported missing on July 13, 2022. Following investigations, Maitland was arrested and charged with both offences.
During the trial, which began in May 2025 before a seven-member jury, the prosecution led evidence from 36 witnesses, including Donaldson’s mother, who testified that her daughter was last seen alive on July 11, 2022, when Maitland reportedly picked her up from her home in St Andrew. The mother also testified that she spoke with her daughter on the morning of July 12.
Meanwhile, Donaldson’s brother gave evidence that he had spoken with her via video call on the evening of July 12, and she appeared to be in a location with a yellow background and brown curtains.
In a statement given to the police on July 15, 2022, Maitland said Donaldson walked out of his Chelsea Manor apartment on the morning of July 12 after an argument.
According to him, the argument was over a photograph of the mother of his child, which he had hanging on the wall. Maitland claimed that Donaldson wanted him to take down the picture, but he refused, indicating that he was not going to shun his child’s mother.
He said his efforts to reach her after she left were unsuccessful.
The trial also heard evidence from two drivers who reported that they were paid by Maitland to transport a sofa from a car wash to his home.
A car wash worker testified that she saw what appeared to be blood, like rice grains, running from the sofa while it was being power-washed and thought that somebody must have been killed. She also said that after washing the sofa, she saw flies swarming it and noticed a strong raw smell.
The Crown also led evidence that Maitland repeatedly contacted a neighbour in an effort to obtain CCTV footage from the apartment complex and told the neighbour that he wanted the footage erased as he was up for a promotion and might have been seen on camera smoking. The court also heard that he later told the same neighbour that he wanted to view the footage because he had a girlfriend who had visited and had gone missing.
A government forensic analyst testified that bloodstains recovered from several items seized from Maitland’s New Kingston apartment matched Donaldson’s DNA profile. The court heard that blood marks were found on shoes, drapes, and a cushion cover.
Meanwhile, the defence sought to establish possible reasons for Donaldson’s disappearance, including that she may have left the island by boat or other illegal means or may have been trafficked. The defence also raised the possibility that she was taken by a taxi operator or a stalker.
The defence also pointed to reports of possible sightings of Donaldson weeks after she was reported missing and questioned whether those had been thoroughly investigated. The defence also suggested that extensive checks were not carried out at all hospitals for Donalson.
In respect to the DNA evidence, the defence raised the possibility that Donaldson’s DNA could have been transferred through casual contact and that the blood found in the apartment could have been from her period.
Additionally, the defence repeatedly suggested that the mother of Maitland’s child may have had a role in Donaldson’s disappearance, prompting her to leave the island.
Director of Public Prosecutions Claudette Thompson is leading the Crown team, which also includes Acting Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Lori Ann Tugwell and Crown Counsel Anita Hall.
King’s Counsel Larry Smith represents Maitland, along with Christopher Townsend, Chadwick Berry, Sanjay Smith, and Kaysian Kennedy Sherman.