BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis has recorded 17 homicides for this year and many people are baffled as to the motives behind these killings.
The most recent victim was 26-year-old Kishorne Edwards of Upper Cayon, who is said to have hailed from Ramsbury, Nevis.
SKNVibes understands that he was killed execution-style shortly before 1:00 a.m. yesterday (Jul. 4) in the vicinity of the Water Tank in Ottley’s Village.
Information reaching this publication indicated that members of the Violent Crimes Unit had found the young man slumped in the driver’s seat of a black BMW with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body.
It also indicated that the vehicle bore dozens of bullet holes to the front and both sides of the front seat, which suggest that he was ambushed by more than one person.
The information further indicated that more than 50 spent shells were found at the scene and suggested that Edwards might have visited someone in that village or was driving through on return to his residence, as the BMW was found facing Canyon’s direction.
No one has so far been held in connection with this incident and the motive is still unknown, but police have informed that investigations are ongoing.
The first homicide for this year occurred in Nevis when police reportedly discovered the partly decomposed body of 44-year-old Leon Gumbs with two bullet wounds in his Cotton Ground home on Sunday, January 29.
No word was heard of anyone being held responsible for that homicide and the motive is also unknown.
The second victim was Venezuelan national Luis Garcia (39), a Cash for Gold operator, who was shot while on Manchester Avenue, Newtown on Wednesday, February 1 and pronounced dead on arrival at the JNF General Hospital.
Reportedly, the motive was robbery and three males, including a juvenile, were shortly thereafter taken into custody to assist police with their investigation. However, since then, no word has been forthcoming on the situation.
Garcia was followed by 54-year-old Ashton Christopher of Taylor’s Village, who was stabbed to death in that village on Friday, March 10. Police have since charged Clive ‘Shanty’ Edwards with his death.
The fourth homicide victim was 15-year-old Ashanafi Saddler of Janet Alley in McKnight, who was pronounced dead at the JNF General Hospital after he was stabbed by his older brother Kareem Chumney on Saturday, March 25.
Chumney (21), a former nurse aide and known cross-dresser, was charged with manslaughter and granted bail to the tune of $50,000. The incident was said to have occurred following an altercation between the brothers.
Fifth was Randell Chapman (23) of Rawlins Village, who was gunned down execution-style by an unknown assailant or assailants in the presence of many witnesses on the Cotton Playfied during a cricket match on Sunday, March 26.
The motive behind this killing was said to be gang-related and two individuals were reportedly taken into police custody to assist with investigations but they had since been released.
Akeem ‘Ratty’ Bryan of Newton Ground, who was said to be in his 30s, was the sixth homicide victim. He was shot to death in Newton Ground at about 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28. Motive unknown.
The seventh victim was 28-year-old Morella Webbe, who was shot at about 3:45 a.m. on Monday, April 17 while sitting in a car near her Cotton Ground home in Nevis and succumbed to her injuries at the Alexandra Hospital.
No one has since been held accountable for her death but it was being bandied that the incident was one of mistaken identity.
Her death was followed by a double homicide on Tuesday, April 25 when Shariff Williams (25) of Colquolouns Housing Project and Elvis Lawrence (21) of Cotton Ground were shot shortly before 5:00 p.m. in the vicinity of a bar in Cotton Ground, Nevis. Both men were pronounced dead at the Alexandra Hospital.
This double homicide was classified by many as gang-related and vendetta-driven, but no one has so far been held responsible.
The 10th homicide victim was Gregory Mills, who had owned and operated Greg’s Pizza next to Morton’s Supermarket on Cayon Street in Basseterre. He was gunned down some time before 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9 – the day before his 28th birthday – while driving in the Gillard Meadows area in the St. Peter’s Parish. He died at the scene.
His killing was believed to be linked to extortion and, since his death, police had arrested Omax Bye with the capital offence.
Number 11 was another female. Shortly before 11:00 p.m. on Friday, June 2, 37-year-old Lydia Jacobs was shot in the yard of her Grace Development Housing residence in Church Ground and was pronounced dead at the Alexandra Hospital in Nevis.
Alston Phillips of Hamilton Estate, Nevis, who is said to hail from Jamaica, has since been charged with murder. The motive for this killing is unknown.
Another double homicide had taken the toll to 13. At about 9:45 p.m. on Saturday, June 3, Dennis ‘Bun Up’ Liburd (46) of Lower Westbourne Street and Sean ‘Spajal’ Smith (41) of Taylor’s Village were shot while entering Smith’s yard. Liburd died at the scene and Smith succumbed to his injuries at the JNF General Hospital.
Two persons were taken into police custody on Tuesday, June 6 but were released without any charge laid against them. The motive behind these killings is also not known.
Jamal Francis (32) of Willet’s Project in St. Paul’s Village was the 14th homicide victim. He was shot shortly after midday on Tuesday, June 6 in Rawlins Ground, St. Paul’s Village and later died at the JNF General Hospital.
Police had informed that a 17-year-old male was taken into custody for questioning, but since then this media house is unaware of any charge against him. The motive behind this killing is also unknown.
Quite disturbingly, the 15th victim was another female - 17-year-old Basseterre High School student Leanna Napoleon of Keys Village – whose partly decomposed body was found in a shallow grave in the Olivees Mountain area on Wednesday, June 14 after she went missing since Monday, May 8.
Her brother, 19-year-old Brandon Lee Wells, 18-year-old Travien Liddie and 18-year-old Ivan ‘Chineyman’ Phillip were charged with her murder. This one’s motive is also unknown.
Thirty-one-year-old Darnel Govia of Phillip’s Village was the 16th victim. He was shot on Tuesday, June 20 at the JNF General Hospital while reportedly waiting on a friend and succumbed to his injuries about one hour later.
The motive behind his killing was said to be vendetta-driven. Police have since charged 23-year-old Shakeem ‘Lil Nozzle’ Cranston, also known as Shakeem Mitchum, of Upper College Street, Basseterre with murder.
While this publication is unaware of the motives for most of these homicides, the police have the answers. The police however cannot make them public, as, apart from ongoing investigations, such information can prejudice the cases even before trial.
There are many unsolved homicides, but it must be remembered that the files on these cases are still open and can be closed if those members of the public, who have information that can lead to the successful prosecution of the perpetrators, would decide to share with the police.
Apart from Leon Gumbs, Ashton Christopher, Dennis ‘Bun Up’ Liburd and Sean ‘Spajal’ Smith, the average age of those killed for this year is 27.15. And with Venezuelan national Luis Garcia excluded from this list, the average age is 26.16.
According to SKNVibes’ record, there have been 317 homicides between 2001 and July 2017, and a cursory glance at that figure reflects a very significant depletion in the Federation’s young male population, most of which is believed to have been fuelled by feuds among gangs.
This clearly shows that the lifespan for males in St. Kitts and Nevis who are perceived to be gang members and those perceived to be involved in serious crimes is 27 years.
It is said in some quarters that this fact is known to those involved in serious crimes and there would not be an end to the homicides, because “it is a mindset”.
That said, the question still remains – What is the motive behind the killings?
