After a 10-day trial in New York, a US jury convicts man of murdering St Lucian resident Jahfari Joseph
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — A US jury has convicted a man of murdering a Saint Lucian, bringing closure to a case that drew international attention. On Thursday, a Clinton County jury found 61-year-old Timothy Timmons guilty of second-degree murder in the December 2024 killing of Jahfari Joseph, a 40-year-old Saint Lucian national who lived and worked in Plattsburgh, New York.
The verdict followed a 10-day trial in which jurors deliberated for less than an hour before returning a unanimous guilty decision, according to NBC5 News. Prosecutors presented witness testimony, digital evidence, and phone call records linking Timmons to Joseph’s death, which had shocked the local Caribbean community.
Joseph was reported missing on December 29, 2024, prompting a wide search effort by police and community members. Authorities later arrested Timmons after a search of the property connected to the investigation. Earlier reports by Unitedpac St Lucia News detailed the initial stages of the case, when a Plattsburgh man was first charged in connection with the Saint Lucian citizen murder case (read more here).
During the proceedings, prosecutors argued that the evidence proved Timmons’s intent beyond a reasonable doubt, while the defense sought to cast doubt on the reliability of digital data and witness accounts.
After the verdict was read, Joseph’s mother, Theresa John, expressed emotional relief in an interview with NBC5. “I’m just happy as a mom that justice is served,” she said. “I don’t know what to say, but I really don’t. I’m just happy.”
Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wiley confirmed that sentencing has been scheduled for January 2026. Under New York State law, a second-degree murder conviction carries a penalty ranging from 15 years to life, up to a maximum of 25 years to life imprisonment.
The conviction brings closure to a nearly yearlong pursuit of justice for Joseph’s family and the Saint Lucian diaspora in Plattsburgh. Local residents and advocacy groups have followed the case closely since it began, viewing the verdict as a reaffirmation of accountability in violent crime cases affecting Caribbean nationals abroad.
For continued coverage of judicial and diaspora-related developments, follow Unitedpac St Lucia News.
