Diandra Grandison, Staff Reporter
A pastor is seeking to clear his name, after he was accused of hitting a man in the head, killing him at a church recently.
Stanley Williams, 57, pastor of the Manger Tabernacle Evangelistic Association in Downer district, Clarendon, told THE STAR that contrary to the belief of residents, he is not to be held responsible for the death of 23-year-old Jamar Letford as he died of natural causes.
Williams said on January 13, about 3:30 a.m., Letford, whom he says suffers from epilepsy, visited the church seeking assistance.
"Residents are saying that I hit Jamar in his head and that is not so. He is epileptic and he came to the church for help. During one of his episodes, he slipped and hit his head, on some stones in the churchyard," Williams explained.
He said after Letford hit his head, he was still alive and was taken to hospital, where he later died.
The residents, however, told THE STAR a different tale, insisting they heard the deceased pleading with the pastor to not hit him.
"Is lie pastor a tell, I heard crying in the early morning over the church and me hear when him bawl out, 'whaii nuh lick me inna me head!" a resident said.
The residents said they want the pastor out of their community, as they suspect that something eerie is happening in his church.
"Something over that church is not right, too much secrecy. Every husband lose dem wife because of that church," a resident told THE STAR, under anonymity. "The women dem will go church from 7 o'clock ah night and all 4 o'clock the next morning dem just a leave church. It cause pure problems in them home."
Williams, who has been living in the community for over 30 years, denied this allegation, saying that he does not encourage the women of the church to hang around after 10 p.m.
He said the resentment from some residents is because of the principles of his church. "If you're a Christian, you should live as a Christian, dress as a Christian," he said.
While speaking with Williams, a group of female church members voiced their opinion about the allegations against him and place of worship.
"We are not perturbed because we know it's not true. We know he's a man of God and what they are saying doesn't bother us," a member said.
Another member added, "Pastor is a man of God, he is loving and caring, he's a teacher. Most people in the community, whenever they are sick, here is where they come for healing ... Some of them want to be in the church, but want to wear their false hair and bling-bling and want to have multiple partners and that's a no-no."
five death threats
Williams, who is also a former police officer, revealed to THE STAR that he has received five death threats.
He said a hitman told him that he was paid close to $35,000 to kill him. When THE STAR inquired about the whereabouts of the man, Williams told THE STAR that he died some time after.
"The person who was asked to kill me died, but he told me before he died that he wasn't gonna do it. He said one of the men who paid him, his girlfriend was a member of the church and she got saved and ended the relationship. He thought that it was me who stopped it, and if he could get me out of the way then that would be it," he said.
In the meantime, since Letford's death, the community has been divided and residents are at odds. They said they are awaiting the results of the deceased man's post-mortem to hear the true cause of death.
Checks were made with the Lionel Town police and an officer told THE STAR, "We have been hearing things about the pastor and the church, but we have not received any formal reports, so we cannot conduct any investigations"
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