A Mandeville University student is facing criminal charges following a deadly traffic collision on the PJ Patterson Highway in St Catherine that killed four people earlier this year. Police identified Kengu Black, daughter of businessman and PNP activist Kenneth “Skeng Don” Black, as the driver of a Mercedes-Benz that reportedly caused the fatalities.
After the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) reviewed the case, she was formally charged with four counts of causing death by dangerous driving. Black went to St Catherine Parish Court on Monday, and she will return for the next hearing on February 6.
The deadly crash occurred on March 29, when a grey Toyota Probox suddenly lost control. Police reports indicate the Probox flipped along the highway early that morning. Black was approaching in a 2022 Mercedes-Benz. Her vehicle struck the flipped Probox, which triggered a quadruple vehicle crash on the highway.
When emergency crews responded to the scene, they found multiple people injured and dead. It was later confirmed that four individuals, including a child, died from injuries sustained in the crash.
Those who lost their lives in the crash were identified as the driver of the Probox, Andre McLeish; eight-year-old Tray Stewart; Wendy Lammie; and Tyesha Manhertz. Police reported that three people who were injured in the incident had to receive medical attention.
According to the court documents, Black was in the crash after just returning from Canada, where she studied. The Mercedes that Black was driving at the time of the crash was registered to her father’s company, K and T Development Jamaica Limited. The business place is a construction company that is operated in Mandeville.
The online reaction to the recent charges against Kengu Black has been intense and mixed, with many commenters expressing frustration over the timing. Some also suggested that the outcome might be disappointing, indicating that the case could be influenced by her family’s prominence.