BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – GENERAL MANAGER and owner of the Rawlins Plantation Inn Kevin Horstwood was today (Jan. 2) charged with the murder of 60-year-old Matthew Murphy, an employee of the hotel situated in the Belmont Estate area in St. Paul’s Village.
A release from the Police Public Relations Office late this afternoon indicated that Horstwood was arrested at the Basseterre Police Station in the presence of his attorney and charged on a warrant in the First Instance for the murder of Murphy, committed between December 28 and 30, 2011.
On Friday (Dec. 30), Murphy’s body was discovered within a canefield in St. Paul’s Village with what police claimed to be apparent stab wounds in his torso.
According to a press release issued by Commissioner of Police Celvin ‘CG’ Walwyn on that day, police were investigating “the death of a 60 year-old man who was found in a rural field on the western end of the island of St. Kitts”.
It stated that police were called to the scene near Belmont Estate and the Rawlins Plantation at about 11:45 a.m. on Friday to investigate reports of a man found not breathing, with apparent stab wounds in his torso, and that he was pronounced dead at the scene.
It further stated that the deceased was living on St. Kitts for the past 10 months and his identity would not be revealed until his next of kin was notified.
However, this afternoon’s press release noted that “Matthew Murphy’s family has been notified of this tragic incident and have expressed sincere gratitude to the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force for their handling of the investigation”.
SKNVibes understands that Murphy was an American citizen and Horstwood is a native of the United Kingdom..
Murphy’s death has taken to 34 the number of homicides committed in the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis for 2011.
