Dancehall Icon Ninja Man Arrested Murder Case Moves Forward

Ninja Man is currently in jail as his decade-old murder case is set to commence in the Home Circuit Court.

The dancehall icon was remanded in custody yesterday after his attorney file court documents for a stay of proceedings. High Court judge, Justice Martin Gayle, denied the application and ordered the artist to be jailed and the trial to commence. An official trial date is not yet set, but the deejay is still behind bars up to the time of this publication.

Ninja Man murder case has been going on since 2009, long before Vybz Kartel murder case, which was concluded in 2014. The Gorgon’s case has since seen 17 dates being pushed back and a total of 23 court hearings. Last year, Ninja Man posted a video on social media ranting about the drawn-out case while blasting the Jamaican justice system.

A rep for the deejay says that he is not happy to be behind bars, but he is happy that the case is being brought forward so that he can put it behind him. Ninja Man, whose real name is Desmond Ballentine, and his son Janiel Ballentine, were arrested in 2009 and charged with murder for the killing 20-year-old Ricardo ‘Ricky Trooper’ Johnson. Cops say Ninja Man shot and killed Johnson following a dispute with his son on Mall Road, St Andrew.

Back in 2012, Ninja Man and his son were remanded in custody for said trial but the case was again postponed.