Convicted cop-killer Jasmine Hartin was released from custody on Wednesday – after police admitted she broke no law trying to leave Belize, was able to reveal.
The new development concerns the 34-year-old Canadian socialite, who was arrested at a border post on Tuesday after attempting to leave the country after a trial was heard in the May 2021 killing of local police officer Henry Jemmott.
The 42-year-old police commissioner was shot in the head with his own gun as the two met near a hotel on the island of Ambergris Caye owned by the billionaire father of her British boyfriend Andrew Ashcroft.
She said she was drinking with Jemmott and was being taught how to use his gun when she accidentally went off and killed him. Since then, the mother-of-two has escaped jail time, paying only a $37,000 fine for manslaughter.
However, after she sent the money to her attorney over the weekend, a court official refused to return her passport, resulting in her being issued with an emergency travel document to cross from Santa Elena to Mexico at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
When she attempted to enter the country, she was quickly detained at a border post, locked up in a sweltering Belizean jail. Within 24 hours, officers admitted they had made a mistake – the country’s police commissioner blamed “discrepancies” in her pay for the woman’s brief detention.
Trying to enter the country, convicted cop killer Jasmine Hartin was quickly arrested at a border post in a muggy Belizean jail. Within 24 hours, police officers admitted they had made a mistake: the country’s police commission blamed the woman’s detention on “inconsistencies” with a fine she paid for the manslaughter
The 42-year-old victim, Belize Police Commissioner Henry Jemmott, was shot in the head with his own gun in 2021 when the two were socializing near a hotel on the island of Ambergris Caye
“Having completed the investigation and reviewed the court order and recorded statements, there is insufficient evidence to prosecute Hartin for a criminal offense, particularly since the entire fine has been paid,” Commissioner Chester Williams said.
“While there were some inconsistencies with the statement, it was clear she was acting on the advice of her attorney, whom she had every reason to believe.”
The Canadian national, who was detained for about a day, previously insisted she had done nothing wrong when attempting to enter Mexico on a Canadian-issued travel document, but was taken into custody anyway.
Her attorney said Saturday she had paid the fine and wanted to “send to the Jemmott family her sincere regret and remorse for the loss of their beloved Henry,” who left behind a wife and five children.
But after she sent the money to her attorney, a court official initially refused to return her passport, a Hartin spokesman said. She was then issued an emergency travel document and attempted to cross from Santa Elena to Mexico at 12:30 p.m.
However, when Hartin produced documents showing she had transferred the funds to her attorney, in accordance with the court, authorities instead began investigating the travel document she received from the Canadian consulate, they say.
Louisa Chiaramonte, Hartin’s spokeswoman, said the mother-of-two was brought into a room by a border guard for questioning over allegations of forging the travel document.
According to The Times, local media has indicated that Belizean Police Commissioner Chester Williams has intervened to prevent them from “fleeing” the country.
Her lawyers quickly hit back, and obtained copies of Canadian travel documents, which officials later confirmed were legitimate.
In testimonies to the media, Hartin – who was married to the son of British-Belizean billionaire Lord Michael Ashcroft at the time of the murder – had claimed she was drinking with Jemmott and teaching her how to use his gun when she went into the accident, which killed him instantly.
The incident took place at the then newly opened Alaia Belize Hotel Autograph Collection in Ashcroft and quickly made headlines.
The Canadian national, who was detained for about a day, previously insisted she had done nothing wrong when she attempted to enter Mexico on a Canadian-issued travel document but was taken into custody
When her lawyers dismissed officials’ claims that she “fled” to another country, obtained copies of Canadian travel documents proving her actions were not illegal
The Canadian national, who was detained for about a day, previously insisted she had done nothing wrong when attempting to enter Mexico on a Canadian-issued travel document, but was taken into custody anyway
revealed she was locked up in this sweltering prison where she was forced to strip down to her underwear to keep cool
Hartin is pictured in Belize Jail while incarcerated following her initial arrest before being found guilty of manslaughter and released
Jasmine Hartin was spotted shopping at a fruit stand in Belize last month
Jemmott was shot in the head while he and Hartin were drinking together late at night on a pier near a luxury hotel owned by her then-partner Andrew Ashcroft on the island of Ambergris Caye in 2021.
Hartin’s former partner, Andrew Ashcroft, said Hartin was “very drunk” the night of the incident.
Hartin claimed that Jemmott offered to teach her how to use his Glock 17 pistol for her protection.
Hartin said Jemmott urged her to get a gun for her safety and the officer offered to teach her how to load and unload his service gun.
She says it started when the gun was returned.
In April last year, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter and last week was sentenced to 300 hours of community service and filming a video about the dangers of drinking and handling firearms.
Hartin was also ordered to pay damages to the family, which a friend reportedly helped her pay.
Judge Ricardo Sandicroft asked Hartin to refer the fine to her attorney.
But Ms Chiaramonte says Hartin was prevented from leaving the country yesterday afternoon despite an emergency travel document.
Hartin’s supporters opted Wednesday to pay the fine in cash to secure her release. They called their detention unlawful and another instance of abuse by the Belizean authorities of the glamorous mother of two.
They gave police a receipt for the full amount, but as of early Wednesday night Hartin was still behind bars and has not been charged with a crime.
They also provided with exclusive copies of Canadian travel documents to prove their authenticity. Hartin surrendered her passport after Jemmott’s assassination, but has not yet received it back.
Meanwhile, police sources told that Hartin was forced to strip down to his underwear to stay cool this morning as temperatures soared to 32C in Corozal.
The tiny city jail has a handful of gloomy concrete cells, some of which are currently occupied by suspects in the execution-like murder of a young father in the nearby village of Libertad.
Kurtis Usher was shot dead on his doorstep on Monday when mobsters loaded assault rifles into his home and grazed his three-year-old son Kayjay while he was valiantly protected by Usher’s partner Jasmine Williamson.
The same group is suspected of trying to murder another couple a day later by shooting bullets at their home and car. The pair managed to duck and survive the onslaught of .223 rounds.
The Corozal police were also caught in a scandal last August when clumsy officers forgot to unload a prisoner from their van in “extreme heat”.
But by the time they realized their mistake – some 13 hours later – Derrick Uh, 20, who had been arrested for grabbing a woman’s buttocks, had died of heat stroke.
Henry Jemmott, the chief of police who was shot by Hartin, pictured with his family, widow Romit Wilson and children from left: Henry, Jemarie and Keyannie
The receipt, which Hartin’s supporters say, proves that she paid her fine before attempting to leave the Central American country
She cried in court as she pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter at the last minute before the actual trial.
Jemmott’s widow Romit Wilson, 39, criticized Hartin’s behavior throughout the court case and accused the celebrity of conducting an “international public relations campaign”.
Wilson, who had three children with Jemmott, broke her silence, telling that Hartin had tried to portray himself as a victim.
She previously said: “I haven’t given any media outlets an interview since the day Henry was killed.”
While awaiting trial on bail, Hartin gave several print and on-camera interviews. She was also featured in the Discovery+ documentary One Bullet in Belize.
Hartin has vividly described how she “accidentally” shot and killed the officer while they were enjoying a drink late at night. She said she “crawled out” from under the burly officer and was left covered in his blood.
Her former partner Ashcroft, son of British billionaire Lord Michael Ascroft, said Hartin was “very drunk” on the night of the incident.
Ashcroft’s claims contradicted Hartin’s claim that she only had a few drinks and was not drunk the night Jemmott was killed.
The couple split shortly after the incident and have had a bitter custody battle over their two children ever since.