Jurors in the trial of Brittany Jno-Baptiste heard unsettling testimony on Thursday about the disturbing behaviours of Brittany Jno-Baptiste, prior to the October 2021 murder of 66-year-old Wendy Jane Finch.

Psychiatrist Dr. James King, Superintendent of Clarevue Psychiatric Hospital, revealed that Jno-Baptiste, now 24, exhibited signs of severe psychosis. This condition worsened due to years of untreated mental health issues and heavy marijuana use. He noted that her troubling behaviour began in childhood but went unaddressed, leading to severe outcomes later in life.

“She was psychotic before she killed the lady,” Dr. King testified. He shared reports of her hanging dogs, chickens, and cats from trees, eating parts of a dead dog, and planning her own suicide. He also noted a history of aggression, including threatening her pregnant sister and engaging in violent altercations with her mother and stepfather.

Diagnosed in childhood with ADHD and dyslexia, Jno-Baptiste also exhibited traits of schizoaffective disorder. On the night of the murder, she reportedly experienced hallucinations and delusions triggered by cannabis intoxication. Dr. King said she heard voices and saw strange visions, including “bright shiny objects” and “a little man.”

“She said the road just twisted and twisted.” She heard an unfamiliar male voice telling her to harm Finch, the doctor continued. “Shalom Fu Lion”. Jno-Baptiste interpreted the voice to mean “If you do it, me go get you fu join the tribe.” The tribe which she later identified as the tribe of Ras Freeman where she worked.

When Dr. King evaluated Jno-Baptiste on January 13, 2022. He said she met the criteria to be diagnosed for cannabis-induced-psychotic disorder and cannabis intoxication and so couldn’t discern reality from her hallucinations. After she killed Finch, Jno-Baptiste told the doctor, she saw her step father step out of a room in Finch’s house with a suitcase followed by “three little men and duppy”.

Interestingly, Dr. King said Jno-Baptiste was aware that something was wrong with her that day because the afternoon of the murder she went to the Liberta Police Station seeking help for the hallucinations. When she received no assistance, she went to a shop in the village and smoked some more.

The accused profile

Thursday’s hearing began with some hesitancy by Shannon Jones-Gittens, the acting Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), to allow Jno-Baptiste’s evaluation to be tendered as evidence in the case. She argued that there needed to be a statutory exemption to allow medical reports to be tendered as evidence and that it was unusual to allow such a request. But Jno-Batiste’s lawyer Wendel Alexander rebutted that Dr King’s report was the only evidence touching on the witness’ state of mind, the night she committed the murder. After a brief break, High Court judge Tunde Bakre allowed it.

In his testimony, Dr. King highlighted Jno-Baptiste’s long history of struggles linked to her ADHD diagnosis, which he described as a condition that can lead to substance abuse if unmanaged. He cautioned that ADHD is “not something to be trifled with” because it can cause substance abuse later in life like it did with Jno-Baptiste.

During her formative years, Jno-Baptiste was often teased for being “slow” and failing to grasp her schoolwork. This bullying led her to drop out of school in third form.

“She became sexually active at an early age, which is classic for ADHD girls,” Dr. King explained, adding that Jno-Baptiste eventually turned to sex work.

Her mother reported that people in Liberta, where she lived before moving to Old Road, called her “crazy” because she often stood outside staring at the sun.

Jno-Baptiste began heavily using marijuana at age 18, consuming 7–8 “big joints” daily. Dr. King noted that this marked the beginning of her downward spiral, as the weed exacerbated her psychotic tendencies.

“The cannabis available now is not your grandmother’s cannabis,” Dr. King explained, pointing out that modern strains often contain THC levels of 23% or higher, compared to just 6–10% in the past. This imbalance, coupled with insufficient CBD (which has antipsychotic properties), can trigger paranoia and psychosis, especially in individuals predisposed to mental disorders.

As in the case of Jno-Baptiste, her dependency on the drug became so severe that she consumed cannabis-infused products like jam, cakes, and ice cream.

Jno-Baptiste admits guilt

On Wednesday, for the first time since her trial began, Brittany Jno-Baptiste admitted to murdering the 66-year-old woman inside her Picadilly home on October 4, 2021.

Jno-Baptiste, who has listened to days of testimony against her from the defendant’s dock, finally addressed the court, apologizing for taking Finch’s life after the elderly woman refused her request to make a phone call late that night. “I apologise to Mrs. Finch’s family and friends for the pain I’ve caused them,” she said. Jno-Baptiste also expressed remorse to the court and to her parents for the “pain and disgrace” her actions had brought into their lives.

She said she had been “seeing plenty ghosts and jumbie”.

During an interview with police, which was played in court on Wednesday, Jno-Baptiste admitted that she “was not in her right head” at the time of the killing. “I didn’t mean to do it. I am very sorry,” she said during the recording, describing her mental state as “going off.”

Ahead of last week’s trial, Jno-Baptiste pleaded not guilty with her lawyer arguing mental insanity. In the police interview played in court, Jno-Baptiste said she had smoked “5 joints” (marijuana cigarettes) while at work. She worked briefly at Ras Freeman Tour “cleaning weed”. “While I cleaning, I smoking,” she noted.

She also identified blood and hair on the plier that was allegedly used to kill Finch.

What happened on the night of the murder

According to court documents, Jno-Baptiste had hitched a ride with a taxi driver she recognized but had never spoken to before. She told him she needed a ride to her home in Old Road. However, during the journey, she said he propositioned her for sex. The driver denied this claim, testifying that Jno-Baptiste exhibited erratic behaviour and even attempted to divert the ride to obtain cocaine. He claimed he didn’t drive her to Old Road because of the 8 p.m. Covid-19 curfew.

Jno-Baptiste, however, said she accompanied the driver to his Picadilly home but changed her mind about having sex. She lied, telling him someone was waiting for her nearby, and walked off.

While walking, she encountered Finch, who was sitting on her gallery. “I walked in and said goodnight, Mrs, can I please get a phone call? She said no, go ahead. She scared me off,” Jno-Baptiste told the court, adding that Finch appeared frightened.

Jno-Baptiste admitted she initially left but returned shortly after, entering Finch’s home through the unlocked gallery door. She recounted stabbing Finch in the head with a pair of pliers she found on a table in the living room. “As soon as I finished, the police reached,” she told officers.

Medical Evidence

Pathologist Dr. Lester Simon, who stood as an expert witness, previously testified that Finch died from head trauma and massive blood loss caused by the attack. He described the fatal injuries as the result of “tremendous force,” noting extensive lacerations and puncture wounds to Finch’s chin, lips, and the left side of her face. Dr. Simon’s testimony also revealed a puncture wound to the left side of Finch’s skull, which fractured the bone and exposed brain matter—an injury he said could only have been caused by extreme force.

Finch was found lying in a pool of blood with no vital signs. A paramedic noted a flap of skin torn from Finch’s left cheek.

The trial will continue on Friday where both the prosecution and the defence will make closing arguments to the jury.