BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IVAN ‘CHINEYMAN’ PHILLIP, the third suspect in connection with the death of 17-year-old Leanna Napoleon, was charged with murder.
Phillip, for whom police had issued a wanted bulletin, had turned himself in to the authorities at the Basseterre Police Station on Wednesday (Jun. 21) in the company of his attorney Jason Hamilton.
The 18-year-old of St. Johnson Village is the third suspect to have been charged with the Basseterre High School student’s murder.
The first suspect was her 19-year-old brother, Brandon Lee Wells of Buckley’s Housing Development, who was charged on Saturday (Jun. 17).
The second one was 18-year-old Travien Liddie of St. Johnson’s Village, who was charged on Monday (Jun.19) and had attempted to commit suicide at about 11:40 that same night while within a cell at the Basseterre Police Station.
Napoleon, who was residing with her adopted mother in Keys Village following the death of her biological mother some two years ago, was reported missing after she had written her CSEC EDPM exam at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College on Monday, May 8, 2017.
She was reportedly last seen on Fort Street, Basseterre in the afternoon of the day in question.
Since then, members of the Police Force, Defence Force, family members, friends and public-spirited citizens had conducted extensive searches in the Buckley’s, Keys and other areas for the missing girl without success.
However, on the night of Wednesday (Jun. 14), police ranks had discovered her body in a shallow grave in the Olivees Mountain.
Leanna Napoleon’s death had taken to 15 the number of homicides committed in the Federation for this year, which now stands at 16; six on Nevis and 10 on St. Kitts.
Commenting on the charge laid against Phillip and also that of 23-year-old Shakeem ‘Lil Nozzle’ Cranston, also known as Shakeem Mitchum, of Upper College Street, Basseterre, in connection with the shooting-death of Darnel Govia of Phillip’s Village at the JNF General Hospital on Tuesday (Jun. 20), Inspector Mackie Smith of the Violent Crimes Unit had commended the investigators for a job well done and thanked members for collaborating with the police.
“I want to publicly commend our officers in the Violent Crimes Unit, the Special Victims Unit and the Forensic Services Unit for their dedication and diligence in these and all cases, and to note that the assistance of the general public was instrumental in moving these cases forward.”
He also stated that “it is this kind of collaborative effort by the police and the community that makes the difference. Today, we are bringing two perpetrators to be held accountable for their actions”.
