CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – THE lifeless body discovered in Bath Village Cemetery this morning (Jan. 30) was identified as Asim ‘Sim’ Parris of Stoney Grove, Nevis.
Information reaching SKNVibes states that shortly after 7:00 this morning, Parris was seen running in the Bath Cemetery area with a gunman in hot pursuit, but he was unable to escape his attacker and was shot to the head.
Head of the Nevis Division of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, Superintendent Hilroy Brandy told this publication that Parris’ lifeless body was found between two tombs in that cemetery.
This is not the first time shots were fired at Parris.
He was shot to the right shoulder while driving along Low Street, Charlestown on Saturday, May 2008. Six weeks earlier, he was also shot at while driving his car along Government Road, Charlestown in the vicinity of the Jewish Cemetery. He however escaped injuries in that incident but a passenger, Dion Walters of Stoney Grove, was wounded and had to be treated at the Alexandra Hospital.
Parris, who is said to be 38 years old, was no stranger to the police.
On September 24, 2008, he appeared at the Charlestown Magistrate’s Court before Her Worship Jasmine Clarke and was sentenced to serve two and a half years at Her Majesty’s Prison for possession of crack cocaine.
In an exclusive interview, Parris had told this media house that he would be turning a new page in life. “I am changing my lifestyle; I do not want to go to prison again. I own a car which I also use as a taxi, and I also work for a road construction company.”
Parris was again in contention with the law as he, Raphael Wallace of New Castle, Nevis and Dustin Lapsey of Bath Village, Nevis were arrested and charged on Thursday, April 14, 2011 for the Friday, April 8, 2011 murder of Gary Smithen of Hermitage, Nevis.
To date, the police have not informed this media house on the proceedings, but it is logical to conclude that the men were exonerated, especially Parris, because he was regularly seen on the streets of Nevis shortly after the charged was preferred against the trio.
His contention with the law did not end there; for he was again arrested along with Dexter Sommersal of Prickley Pear Alley, Basseterre, St. Kitts, and Craig Halliday of Fort Thomas Road, Basseterre, St. Kitts for the 2008 murder of Leon ‘G-Man’ Westerman who was also known as ‘Gravo’.
On Monday, April 2, 2014, the trio had appeared at the Nevis Circuit Court before Justice Lorraine Williams, who discharged them, ruling that the indictment was invalid and was founded on improper committal proceedings. But on the same day of their release, police rearrested them for the said offence.
Following their re-arrest, Halliday was the first to be on bail and SKNVibes learnt that Parris had achieved same sometime in November last year.
Asim ‘Sim’ Parris’ death has taken the number of homicides committed in the twin-island Federation for this year to five; four on St. Kitts and one on Nevis.
The first was that of ex-Defence Force member Vancito Dore of Cayon who was killed on Thursday (Jan. 14). According to a police statement, the incident occurred at about 8:30 a.m. and initial investigations revealed that he was shot in the Upper Cayon area “by two masked assailants who alighted from a motor vehicle”.
The second victim was 24-year-old Hassan Evans of Pond’s Extension, who was shot multiple times on Upper Thibou Avenue at about 1:15 p.m. and shortly after succumbed to his injuries at the Joseph N France General Hospital on Sunday (Jan. 24).
Twenty-five-year-old Lanzelle O’Loughlin of Molineaux Village was killed execution style shortly before 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday (Jan. 27) in the vicinity of Junie’s Shop in Mansion Village.
And Wade ‘Grammy’ Phipps, who was originally from Lower Cayon but was residing in Christ Church, was killed execution style at about 7:45 p.m. on Friday (Jan. 29) in the vicinity of the basketball court in Ottley’s Village.
