Businessman Accused of Arranging Hit on Wife Tried to Leave Country, Funneled Millions Into Lover’s Business Ahead of Insurance Payout, Testimony Reveals
Omar Collymore was set to receive a $77 million insurance payout in the event of his wife’s death. Then came the love triangle, a spray of bullets on his wife and her taxi driver in St. Andrew, Jamaica, and allegations of murder.
The 41-year-old businessman is currently standing trial on charges of hiring a hitman to take out wife Simone Campbell-Collymore in 2018, and new disturbing revelations have come to light during his testimony this week.
Omar, a Barbados-born American citizen, recently testified during his trial that he attempted to flee Jamaica in fear for his life on the day of his wife’s funeral.
In court, he revealed he was shot at while at a car insurance company in Kingston shortly after his wife’s death, an ambush that sent him to the hospital where he received a visit from a U.S. Embassy official who warned him to take extra precautions.
After his hospital release, Omar visited the U.S. Embassy and was advised to leave the island for his safety, according to his testimony this week. Embassy officials ultimately escorted him to the airport.
When pressed by prosecutor Andrea Martin-Swaby on the strange timing of his departure, the widower claimed that he wasn’t aware his late wife’s funeral was taking place, citing the fact he didn’t have his phone, the Jamaica Gleaner reported.
Before the plane took off, Omar said he was pulled from the flight for questioning about the brazen daylight shooting spree on his wife and taxi driver, Winston Walters. When police released him, he reportedly chose to lie low at a guest house, recently telling the court he picked that location because he and his wife had nice memories there together.
Amid the strain of their marriage, Omar started a three-year affair with an unidentified woman, and his latest testimony sheds light on the nature of their relationship. When prosecutor Andrea Martin-Swaby questioned Omar, he revealed that he poured $3 million into a company owned by his lover — despite his wife telling him their businesses were in arrears. He claimed that in 2017, he tried to get the money back but was unsuccessful.
His lover, described as a gym trainer, denied receiving any financial benefits from Omar. Yet, she admitted that he had paid her rent and taken her on international trips, including to his marital home in Miami, Florida, reported the Jamaican Gleaner.
The woman previously testified in court that she launched an ice cream business with Omar and his friend, but they both pulled out of the deal before it got off the ground, and she could not remember how much seed money or other funding he had provided.
Omar and Campbell-Collymore tied the knot in 2010 and moved to Jamaica shortly afterward, where they lived with Campbell-Collymore’s parents until Omar’s affair unraveled their marriage.
During the trial, it was revealed through text messages that Campbell-Collymore was at first open to working things out. However, as time passed, separation was on the table, and she was willing to sign over luxury vehicles in order to cut all ties with him. It was also noted that Omar was in financial trouble and sought Campbell-Collymore’s assistance before her death.
Wade Blackwood, an Unruly Gang member, is one of two men seen firing on Campbell-Collymore in video footage of the incident. He was convicted of the crime in 2021 after pleading guilty to two counts of murder and illegal possession of a firearm. He received two life sentences, which were later reduced to life with the possibility of parole in 20 years.
Though Omar was set to earn millions in the event of his wife’s death, Campbell-Collymore’s former insurance agent told the court in April that Omar sought out two additional policies with a $10 million critical illness arrangement, although his wife already had one — casting further suspicion on the embattled widower. His co-defendant, Michael Crayboss Adams, is accused of also carrying out the hit.