Five years after her only child Shaundae Jones was gunned down in cold blood, his mother Marsha is still waiting for justice.

Begging the community to break the wall of silence that's prevented detectives cracking the case, she said: "If there's anyone out there that knows anything about Shaundae's case five years later, I'm still in a lot of pain and need some closure.

"If they would just have a heart for me as his mom, if they would just call Crimestoppers or meet with me - whatever it takes - I would really, really appreciate it. I would, from the bottom of my heart, like to have some closure with this and find some peace and an end to this nightmare."

Mr. Jones, 20, was shot leaving the Club Malabar nightclub in Dockyard on April 27 2003. His killing came three months after giving evidence relating to the stabbing death of Tekle Mallory at Paget Ice Queen in 2001. No one has been convicted of either murder.

A man was extradited to Bermuda from Jamaica in connection with the killing of Mr. Jones, but had firearms charges against him dropped in 2005 after a key witness failed to testify.

Marsha Jones, from Warwick, believes her son's Ice Queen murder testimony may be linked to his death. He had not wanted to be a witness, she said, but she told him it was his duty.

She believes that a witness programme could have protected him, and that if one is implemented - as pledged by Government - it could yet bring his killer to justice.

That's something she longs for.

"I never thought that five years later I would still be in the same position, hoping and wishing for justice. I thought by now the person that was responsible would be incarcerated and I could heal. That's a big part of healing, is having some closure - justice. That's something I haven't had and I just have to keep hoping," she said.

Every time she hears news of another young life taken, she feels frustrated by what seems to be an endless cycle of violence and retribution.

"I remember saying when Shaundae first died that if they don't get some kind of handle on these types of horrific crimes then we're going to have more, and if they don't get a handle on people getting away with murder, it will continue on and the perpetrators will feel invincible and will feel like heroes.

"People will feel that it's OK to do, and that's exactly what's happened. How many of the murders that have happened in the last five years, how many successes have we had in court?

"I realise it's a lot to do with people not being willing to speak up and people being afraid. They say they'll address the situation, but how serious are they?"

Despite her frustrations with the criminal justice system, Ms Jones has built a great rapport with a couple of detectives she says have "got their heart and soul in Shaundae's case". She wishes they could concentrate on it, but they frequently get called away to focus on other crimes.

While she'd like to see Police manpower boosted, she also recognises that the fight against crime begins at home.

"Love your children and pay attention to the things they're doing and who they come in contact with," she urged parents. "Be very vigilant as to who they keep as their company and what type of life they're involving themselves in, what their life is about. Just keep talking."

In addition to her work as a nursing aide at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute, Ms Jones has thrown herself into advocacy work since losing her son. She has offered support to troubled youngsters as a coach on the Mirrors programme and supported other parents whose children are the victims of unsolved murders. These include Cindy Bennett, mother of Rebecca Middleton, and Danny Crockwell, father of Shaki Crockwell.

"What I tell a lot of other parents that have since been through what I have is that the pain doesn't go away, but you learn to cope with it."

However, she has also lost friends, upset by their advice that she should give up fighting for justice.

"It's such a painful process. In the last five years I've had to defend myself so many times from so many people in the community who think I need to shut up and move on, which I thought was totally unfair. They feel like he's gone and I need to move on, but it's OK to say that until you're in that predicament."

She plans to spend the anniversary planting a cedar tree in her son's memory, going to church, and reflecting on a life cut short.

"He was a real jokester. He liked to tease. He reminded me so much of myself - I used to try to be a comedian at a young age. Shaundae's friends have grown up now. They're husbands and fathers, they're good to their kids and doing the right thing. I often wonder what kind of a father he would have made and how he would have been. Those are the things that really hurt," she explained.

Ms Jones isn't sure how she'll get through the painful day, but one thing's for sure - she's not about to take that advice to give up fighting.

"I've not had any justice, and I won't be able to have any closure until I do. If it takes until my dying day, I guess that's the way it'll be," she vowed.

l The Crime Stoppers hotline can be reached on 1-800-623-8477. Callers remain anonymou and are not traced. The Serious Crime Unit can be reached on 299-4315.