And like the wider public who have been following this case since 2021, the Commissioner of Police was also disappointed in the sentence that was handed down. He admitted that he did want to see Hartin behind bars, but explained that he wasn't surprised that she only received a fine. Still, it is some consolation that she will have to pay a hefty fine. Here's what the ComPol told us today.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Certainly my wish would have been for her to get an imprisonment sentence but the truth is as a lawyer, knowing the law and what the case precedence in situations like these are, I could understand the decision of the judge and so we have to accept it and it does not bring comfort to us nor the family or that level of comfort we would have wanted but certainly there is some joy it in to see that she did not go unpunished, she is still penalized to a great extent because $75,000 is not a small sum, the family of the late Mr Jemmott do have the option still to take civil action against her for wrongful death and then the court can look at it from a civil standpoint and award greater damages. The community service part I don't know where she's going to do it but I would hope that it is done… at YMCA? I would hope that she would do as best as she can and I would hope that it is a learning example to her not to play with firearms or whatever it is she was doing with the firearm that led to the death of Mr Jemmott."
Courtney Menzies:
"But do you feel like there is a level of unfairness or even privilege because Kareem Martinez was also sentenced for manslaughter and he got 18 years?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"There's a difference between the two and while yes I have expressed that the sentence of Mr Kareem Martinez was excessive, one was manslaughter by negligence, which was Jasmine Hartin, while Kareem Martinez was manslaughter straight, not by negligence, so those two type of crimes do carry different penalty in law. I have never seen a situation where a person who is charged with manslaughter by negligence is given an imprisonment sentence, I've never seen that before so it didn't surprise me that she didn't get an imprisonment sentence."
