Dancehall legend, Ninjaman was Monday found guilty of murder a short while ago in the Supreme Court.
Ninjaman, whose given name is Desmond Ballentine, was charged along with his son Jahneil with the March 2009 murder of Ricardo Johnson, also known as Trooper, on Marl Road in Kingston.
The dancehall deejay, who was granted bail in 2012, was taken into custody four weeks ago after his bail was revoked by High Court judge Justice Martin Gayle, who ordered that the murder trial should begin immediately.
The case had seen 17 trial dates and 23 mentions, and was recently transferred to a special court that handles cases on the books for more than five years.
Hailing from the parish of St Mary, Ninjaman came to prominence in the 1980s. He is known for songs including Artical Don, Border Clash, and Cover Me featuring Tinga Stewart.
The deejay also had a major role in the local action movie Third World Cop in 1999.
His woes began when one Ricardo Johnson, also known as ‘Trooper’ was shot dead on March 16, 2009.
That same year, Ninja Man and his co-accused were arrested.
It is alleged that on the day in question, Johnson was sweeping his yard in the company of a friend on Mall Road, St Andrew, when a motor car with three men aboard drove up. An argument developed between Johnson’s friend and the men, who left but later returned with guns blazing.
Johnson was fatally shot in the incident.
Ninja Man turned himself into the police shortly after the incident, upon hearing that he was being sought as a person of interest in the case.
