January 30, 2024 • 14 mins
When you tuck in for the night, the furthest thought from your mind is the possibility that it could be your last sleep. Yet, this was the grim reality for Melissa Silvira, whose death was shrouded in a web of deceit and violence. In a poignant episode that exposes the darkest corners of the human heart, I, Lav, narrate the chilling tale of betrayal that unfolded in Jamaica, shedding light on the tragic end Melissa met at the hands of her husband, Jolyan Silvera. Ballistic evidence linked the bullet fragments found in Melissa's body to Jolyan licensed firearm, unravelling what was first believed to be death by natural causes into a cold-blooded murder.
The walls of the crime scene whisper secrets of a sinister cover-up, as revealed by the drastic alterations to the room where Melissa's life was claimed. We explore the aftermath of this heinous act, the transformation of a once familiar space into an arena of false serenity. As we grapple with the sorrowful fate of the couple's young children, now left without their mother's embrace and with their father behind bars, this episode is a harrowing reminder of the ongoing struggle for the protection and safety of women. Join me as we honour Melissa's memory and question the societal norms that continue to fail the innocent.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey everyone, welcome to Be Real with Lab Podcast.
Thank you for joining me heretoday, and don't forget also
that we are on YouTube andFacebook and Instagram.
Subscribe to our YouTubechannel, guys, and don't forget
that we are on Apple and Spotifyor wherever you listen to your
(00:23):
podcast.
I'm Lav and thank you forjoining me here today.
So today we're going to getright down real with it.
I want to talk about anunfortunate situation that took
place in Jamaica and it is aboutMelissa Silvira, and this is
(00:50):
about a murder where her husbandwas charged for the murder of
his wife.
So her name is Melissa and youknow it's something that it
makes you.
You can't stop thinking aboutwhat is it that we women either
(01:13):
end up getting murdered orassaulted badly?
Now it was reported thatMelissa died and I believe first
of all, let's start with JoelYan Silvira.
Joel Yan J-O-L-Y-N.
Silvira, who was charged forthe murder of his wife, melissa.
(01:35):
So the 52 year old landdeveloper was officially charged
on Friday and this is fromwhere I'm reading it from, from
the CNW network that I read, andthis is going back in the
earlier part of January and hewas charged after being brought
in the day before for a thirdround of questioning.
(01:57):
And so it's initially reportingthat Melissa died in her sleep
of natural causes.
And this is where it's like.
You know, you listen to certainthings and you're saying like
for what.
She died in her sleep ofnatural causes on November the
10th, right at their house.
(02:18):
Now an autopsy that wasconducted three weeks later
revealed that at least threebullets fragments were in her
body.
So ballistic tests have sincereportedly linked Mr Silvira
licensed firearm to the bulletfragment that were found in his
(02:42):
wife's body.
Now, how about that, guys?
Imagine his wife died ofnatural causes, so when she got
shot, wouldn't there be a lot ofblood on the sheets and stuff
like that?
You know, unless they they hehad, I don't know.
Like I don't get it, thisshould be all the sheets are
(03:04):
blood of if she got shot threebullet fragments in her body and
those bullet is from his gun.
So you know I mean.
In the meantime, the policehave indicated that additional
charges will be brought againstSilvia, and the commanding
officer For the majorinvestigation unit Said that
(03:27):
during the investigation theteam visited crime scenes,
current the crime scene at thecouple's home and observe things
that were not normal.
The room had been completelytiled.
We have seen signs of a paintjob and we have seen signs where
items of the furniture havechanged.
So that means he murdered her.
(03:49):
It's alleged he murdered herand then changed up the whole
room, put in new tiles and freshpaint and everything.
But they have that light thatthey can shine I can't remember
the name of it when, even if youwipe with bleach or do whatever
, they can shine that and stillsee spits of Blood, that
(04:12):
something to place in thatparticular room.
So I just, I just can'tunderstand.
I Really and truly cannotUnderstand.
I mean their new tiles placeddown on the floor, new paint job
.
That means this was a cover-upand is exactly what they're
saying, right, and they'resaying the role of a medical
(04:34):
professional is simply toconfirm that the person is dead
and not necessarily confirm acause of death, right?
So I mean the same policeofficer who went on the scene
requested a postmortem to bedone, as I told you in the
earlier, earlier, and it's it's.
It was not.
(04:55):
It was not Dying natural causes.
You know she was only 42 yearsold, as a young woman with small
children.
What's gonna happen to thechildren?
No mother, no father.
Father is in prison and mom isdead.
You know it is.
So it is so heart-wrenching, soheart-wrenching to know that
(05:16):
You're in your sleep.
That was it.
That's the end of that.
You got shot three times.
That's the end of that.
You never stand a chance tofight for your life, nothing at
all.
You know.
So, um, and, and that's how theyreveal the cause of death.
(05:38):
What if they didn't go so farto do that?
You know what I mean.
But what?
What didn't she have blood allover her clothes?
Oh, what did they do to herbody?
For them to just take her bodyand not see any blood?
Like, what did they do to thebody to Stop the blood from
oozing out?
Or however they did it?
Because if you're taking up adead person and and they got
shot, you're gonna see bloodstill leaking out of their body.
(06:02):
So I don't understand, becausethey're saying cause of death
and they're saying no, they'renot releasing the body until
they they do a, um, an autopsy,right?
So obviously, then, that howI'm getting it is that they saw
the body, took up a body, butNot seeing any blood, to the
point where they I don't knowit's, it's just something else,
(06:23):
it's.
It's like every time you hear,you know, a woman is murdered
because what?
Maybe she wants to divorce herhusband.
I'm not saying this is what'shappening in this case, but I'm
just saying the violence againstwomen is so much more than just
a woman's life.
Violence women is so much thatit's.
It's it's just reallydisturbing.
You can shock three times inyour sleep, three times in her
(06:45):
sleep.
So it's very sad, very, verysad.
And there's children involved.
You know there's childreninvolved.
He was born in the UnitedKingdom in 1971 to Ian and
Cynthia Silvera, you know, andhis mom's Cynthia is an English
(07:10):
woman, has called Jamaica homefor several decades.
So he was born to an influentfamily of landowners and so
Joyven Silvera burst into thepolitical scene in 2011, general
election, you know, and he heSilvera contested the Western St
(07:33):
Mary constituency for PortiaSimpson Miller PNP and upset all
odds when he unseated anotherhometown boy, robert Montague.
So you know he was.
He was very successful man,right, successful.
He married Melissa in 2015.
That was his second marriage.
He and Melissa shared fourchildren.
(07:55):
However, tragedy struck in 2017when two year old Justin
drowned in the pool at theirStony Hill residence in St
Andrew.
So she went.
They went through a lot oftrauma, you know, and um, it's,
it's just, it is just so verysad.
And in 2023,.
(08:16):
Julian Silvera was prominent onthe MP PNP's Islandwide series
of meetings with supporters andhis campaign involves.
Involvement stopped when thepolice announced in December
last year that the death of hiswife was being treated as a case
of murder.
So today, julian Silvera futureis highly uncertain.
(08:37):
He will spend this weekendbehind bars, where he will have
enough time to contemplate howhe has moved from being a high
profile member of one of themost skilled at St Mary families
to being locked in jail cellwith a murder charge hanging
over his head.
So, people, this is verytouching and very sad.
(08:58):
Sometimes I feel like the moremoney you know humankind have,
the more money they make, themore wealthy they become, the
more corrupted you know theybecome.
You know what I mean.
It's just money, you know, you,you, you you're making money.
You're wealthy, you know, andwell known in your community or
in your country or whatever, andyou feel that you know.
(09:20):
Sometimes you know you're doingsomething very wrong and you
feel your money can solve all ofit to cover it up.
You know what I mean.
And money is a funny thing.
No matter how much money youhave, you know, I believe truly
that when God wants to help you,when God wants to expose you,
he will expose you.
Your money means nothing.
That same, all of that money,you're going to spend on lawyer
(09:44):
fees till you're broke.
Right?
You've seen it happen, right?
Look at the R Kelly cases.
You know so many differentactors and music artists.
You know they come in all ofthese, these, these act and
thinking their money can fix itall and in some of the cases it
(10:06):
never does right, fall fromgrace.
You know it says there when Iread God's word sometimes, and
when I read God's word and Iread you know God can bless you
with wealth, talent, andsometimes, when God blesses with
wealth, they become corrupt.
(10:27):
Right, they think they justwoke up.
One day they were born, theywoke up one day, they grew up
and all of a sudden, yes, I didsome my own and I'm wealthy.
But they don't understand that.
You know God can bless you withwealth.
He also watches to see howyou're gonna handle being
wealthy, what are your actions,what are you gonna do?
(10:49):
But for the most part, humankindcan be so cruel to one another.
You know so it is another sadstory of another woman murdered
and we don't even know why.
But the truth will come out, itwill come out.
And to be murdered in yoursleep like that is really,
(11:11):
really hard to.
It's a bitter pill to swallow.
She's somebody's daughter,she's somebody's mother,
somebody's sister, right?
So you know?
I just wanted to bring awarenessof how you never know who
you're sleeping with.
You never know who you'resleeping with, and it goes the
(11:32):
same for men.
With women there's a lot.
There's a lot of times too,we're just not hearing as often
as we are when it comes to awoman.
But they're women who commitmurder, and men and do heinous
things as well.
But this topic here, with this42 year old woman that died and
(11:52):
left her little children, youknow, and died so cold in her
sleep, is something that willnever, ever be forgotten.
You know so, people it is.
Life is just full of a lot ofheartaches and surprises and you
(12:14):
don't even know what's comingto you, you know.
That's why it's it's soimportant to make sure your soul
is right with God, because youknow you're married to somebody
and when you're not with him,for that moment, only God can
hear what you cannot hear whatthat person is saying, and only
God can see what you cannot seewhen you are away from that
(12:37):
person.
Only God.
She didn't know she was gonnadie in her sleep A couple hours
before she went to bed that sameday, when she was about doing
her business, handling whatevershe needs to handle, talking to
whoever, whoever was the lastperson she talked to.
What she did, you know, withher kids and you know what she
said to her kids and you knowgetting ready for bed and stuff
(13:01):
like that.
She didn't know that was herlast to see her children.
She didn't know it would be herlast, that last hug or kiss.
You know she didn't know thatthat was it.
She was going to die Sharingthe same bed with the person.
(13:23):
So it can be very overwhelmingand scary at times because we're
human, we're not perfect.
It can be very, very scary andsome of these men that have
money or wealthy, I'm tellingyou some of them are so corrupt,
so corrupt.
But the truth will come out.
He's in, he's incarceratedright now and the truth have to
(13:45):
come out.
It have to come out becausethere's no way her family, I
don't believe, is gonna let itjust go just like that.
They have to find the truth andit will come out.
But my thoughts and prayers arewith her family and I hope she
gets justice.
I hope the family gets justice.
(14:05):
Yes, people.
So I just wanted to talk aboutthis because, you know, women
are around the world are eitherdying or suffering under some
sort of abuse.
So, everyone, that's all forthis episode.
Thank you again for joining mehere on B-Reel with Lab Podcast.
(14:26):
Have yourself a wonderful week,everyone.
Much love.
Hey everyone, welcome to Be Real with Lab Podcast.
Thank you for joining me heretoday, and don't forget also
that we are on YouTube andFacebook and Instagram.
Subscribe to our YouTubechannel, guys, and don't forget
that we are on Apple and Spotifyor wherever you listen to your
(00:23):
podcast.
I'm Lav and thank you forjoining me here today.
So today we're going to getright down real with it.
I want to talk about anunfortunate situation that took
place in Jamaica and it is aboutMelissa Silvira, and this is
(00:50):
about a murder where her husbandwas charged for the murder of
his wife.
So her name is Melissa and youknow it's something that it
makes you.
You can't stop thinking aboutwhat is it that we women either
(01:13):
end up getting murdered orassaulted badly?
Now it was reported thatMelissa died and I believe first
of all, let's start with JoelYan Silvira.
Joel Yan J-O-L-Y-N.
Silvira, who was charged forthe murder of his wife, melissa.
(01:35):
So the 52 year old landdeveloper was officially charged
on Friday and this is fromwhere I'm reading it from, from
the CNW network that I read, andthis is going back in the
earlier part of January and hewas charged after being brought
in the day before for a thirdround of questioning.
(01:57):
And so it's initially reportingthat Melissa died in her sleep
of natural causes.
And this is where it's like.
You know, you listen to certainthings and you're saying like
for what.
She died in her sleep ofnatural causes on November the
10th, right at their house.
(02:18):
Now an autopsy that wasconducted three weeks later
revealed that at least threebullets fragments were in her
body.
So ballistic tests have sincereportedly linked Mr Silvira
licensed firearm to the bulletfragment that were found in his
(02:42):
wife's body.
Now, how about that, guys?
Imagine his wife died ofnatural causes, so when she got
shot, wouldn't there be a lot ofblood on the sheets and stuff
like that?
You know, unless they they hehad, I don't know.
Like I don't get it, thisshould be all the sheets are
(03:04):
blood of if she got shot threebullet fragments in her body and
those bullet is from his gun.
So you know I mean.
In the meantime, the policehave indicated that additional
charges will be brought againstSilvia, and the commanding
officer For the majorinvestigation unit Said that
(03:27):
during the investigation theteam visited crime scenes,
current the crime scene at thecouple's home and observe things
that were not normal.
The room had been completelytiled.
We have seen signs of a paintjob and we have seen signs where
items of the furniture havechanged.
So that means he murdered her.
(03:49):
It's alleged he murdered herand then changed up the whole
room, put in new tiles and freshpaint and everything.
But they have that light thatthey can shine I can't remember
the name of it when, even if youwipe with bleach or do whatever
, they can shine that and stillsee spits of Blood, that
(04:12):
something to place in thatparticular room.
So I just, I just can'tunderstand.
I Really and truly cannotUnderstand.
I mean their new tiles placeddown on the floor, new paint job
.
That means this was a cover-upand is exactly what they're
saying, right, and they'resaying the role of a medical
(04:34):
professional is simply toconfirm that the person is dead
and not necessarily confirm acause of death, right?
So I mean the same policeofficer who went on the scene
requested a postmortem to bedone, as I told you in the
earlier, earlier, and it's it's.
It was not.
(04:55):
It was not Dying natural causes.
You know she was only 42 yearsold, as a young woman with small
children.
What's gonna happen to thechildren?
No mother, no father.
Father is in prison and mom isdead.
You know it is.
So it is so heart-wrenching, soheart-wrenching to know that
(05:16):
You're in your sleep.
That was it.
That's the end of that.
You got shot three times.
That's the end of that.
You never stand a chance tofight for your life, nothing at
all.
You know.
So, um, and, and that's how theyreveal the cause of death.
(05:38):
What if they didn't go so farto do that?
You know what I mean.
But what?
What didn't she have blood allover her clothes?
Oh, what did they do to herbody?
For them to just take her bodyand not see any blood?
Like, what did they do to thebody to Stop the blood from
oozing out?
Or however they did it?
Because if you're taking up adead person and and they got
shot, you're gonna see bloodstill leaking out of their body.
(06:02):
So I don't understand, becausethey're saying cause of death
and they're saying no, they'renot releasing the body until
they they do a, um, an autopsy,right?
So obviously, then, that howI'm getting it is that they saw
the body, took up a body, butNot seeing any blood, to the
point where they I don't knowit's, it's just something else,
(06:23):
it's.
It's like every time you hear,you know, a woman is murdered
because what?
Maybe she wants to divorce herhusband.
I'm not saying this is what'shappening in this case, but I'm
just saying the violence againstwomen is so much more than just
a woman's life.
Violence women is so much thatit's.
It's it's just reallydisturbing.
You can shock three times inyour sleep, three times in her
(06:45):
sleep.
So it's very sad, very, verysad.
And there's children involved.
You know there's childreninvolved.
He was born in the UnitedKingdom in 1971 to Ian and
Cynthia Silvera, you know, andhis mom's Cynthia is an English
(07:10):
woman, has called Jamaica homefor several decades.
So he was born to an influentfamily of landowners and so
Joyven Silvera burst into thepolitical scene in 2011, general
election, you know, and he heSilvera contested the Western St
(07:33):
Mary constituency for PortiaSimpson Miller PNP and upset all
odds when he unseated anotherhometown boy, robert Montague.
So you know he was.
He was very successful man,right, successful.
He married Melissa in 2015.
That was his second marriage.
He and Melissa shared fourchildren.
(07:55):
However, tragedy struck in 2017when two year old Justin
drowned in the pool at theirStony Hill residence in St
Andrew.
So she went.
They went through a lot oftrauma, you know, and um, it's,
it's just, it is just so verysad.
And in 2023,.
(08:16):
Julian Silvera was prominent onthe MP PNP's Islandwide series
of meetings with supporters andhis campaign involves.
Involvement stopped when thepolice announced in December
last year that the death of hiswife was being treated as a case
of murder.
So today, julian Silvera futureis highly uncertain.
(08:37):
He will spend this weekendbehind bars, where he will have
enough time to contemplate howhe has moved from being a high
profile member of one of themost skilled at St Mary families
to being locked in jail cellwith a murder charge hanging
over his head.
So, people, this is verytouching and very sad.
(08:58):
Sometimes I feel like the moremoney you know humankind have,
the more money they make, themore wealthy they become, the
more corrupted you know theybecome.
You know what I mean.
It's just money, you know, you,you, you you're making money.
You're wealthy, you know, andwell known in your community or
in your country or whatever, andyou feel that you know.
(09:20):
Sometimes you know you're doingsomething very wrong and you
feel your money can solve all ofit to cover it up.
You know what I mean.
And money is a funny thing.
No matter how much money youhave, you know, I believe truly
that when God wants to help you,when God wants to expose you,
he will expose you.
Your money means nothing.
That same, all of that money,you're going to spend on lawyer
(09:44):
fees till you're broke.
Right?
You've seen it happen, right?
Look at the R Kelly cases.
You know so many differentactors and music artists.
You know they come in all ofthese, these, these act and
thinking their money can fix itall and in some of the cases it
(10:06):
never does right, fall fromgrace.
You know it says there when Iread God's word sometimes, and
when I read God's word and Iread you know God can bless you
with wealth, talent, andsometimes, when God blesses with
wealth, they become corrupt.
(10:27):
Right, they think they justwoke up.
One day they were born, theywoke up one day, they grew up
and all of a sudden, yes, I didsome my own and I'm wealthy.
But they don't understand that.
You know God can bless you withwealth.
He also watches to see howyou're gonna handle being
wealthy, what are your actions,what are you gonna do?
(10:49):
But for the most part, humankindcan be so cruel to one another.
You know so it is another sadstory of another woman murdered
and we don't even know why.
But the truth will come out, itwill come out.
And to be murdered in yoursleep like that is really,
(11:11):
really hard to.
It's a bitter pill to swallow.
She's somebody's daughter,she's somebody's mother,
somebody's sister, right?
So you know?
I just wanted to bring awarenessof how you never know who
you're sleeping with.
You never know who you'resleeping with, and it goes the
(11:32):
same for men.
With women there's a lot.
There's a lot of times too,we're just not hearing as often
as we are when it comes to awoman.
But they're women who commitmurder, and men and do heinous
things as well.
But this topic here, with this42 year old woman that died and
(11:52):
left her little children, youknow, and died so cold in her
sleep, is something that willnever, ever be forgotten.
You know so, people it is.
Life is just full of a lot ofheartaches and surprises and you
(12:14):
don't even know what's comingto you, you know.
That's why it's it's soimportant to make sure your soul
is right with God, because youknow you're married to somebody
and when you're not with him,for that moment, only God can
hear what you cannot hear whatthat person is saying, and only
God can see what you cannot seewhen you are away from that
(12:37):
person.
Only God.
She didn't know she was gonnadie in her sleep A couple hours
before she went to bed that sameday, when she was about doing
her business, handling whatevershe needs to handle, talking to
whoever, whoever was the lastperson she talked to.
What she did, you know, withher kids and you know what she
said to her kids and you knowgetting ready for bed and stuff
(13:01):
like that.
She didn't know that was herlast to see her children.
She didn't know it would be herlast, that last hug or kiss.
You know she didn't know thatthat was it.
She was going to die Sharingthe same bed with the person.
(13:23):
So it can be very overwhelmingand scary at times because we're
human, we're not perfect.
It can be very, very scary andsome of these men that have
money or wealthy, I'm tellingyou some of them are so corrupt,
so corrupt.
But the truth will come out.
He's in, he's incarceratedright now and the truth have to
(13:45):
come out.
It have to come out becausethere's no way her family, I
don't believe, is gonna let itjust go just like that.
They have to find the truth andit will come out.
But my thoughts and prayers arewith her family and I hope she
gets justice.
I hope the family gets justice.
(14:05):
Yes, people.
So I just wanted to talk aboutthis because, you know, women
are around the world are eitherdying or suffering under some
sort of abuse.
So, everyone, that's all forthis episode.
Thank you again for joining mehere on B-Reel with Lab Podcast.
(14:26):
Have yourself a wonderful week,everyone.
Much love.
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