BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force had inadvertently issued a press release, which stated that 21-year-old Travien Liddie of St. Johnson’s Village was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 17-year-old Leanna Napoleon.
In a follow-up release, the Police Force sent a correction to his sentence and apologised for any inconvenience its mistake might have caused.
The release noted that Liddie was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for the murder of Napoleon and an additional five-year imprisonment for Attempting to Pervert the Natural Course of Justice.
Liddie and Napoleon’s brother, 22-year-old Brandon Lee Wells of Buckley’s Estate, were sentenced on Friday (Nov.6).
Wells was sentenced to life imprisonment and an additional five-year sentence for Attempting to Pervert the Natural Course of Justice.
Napoleon, who was a fifth form Basseterre High School student, was residing with her adopted mother in Keys Village following the death of her biological mother in 2015.
The 17-year-old 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 that day in question. However, since the report, 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.
It was not until the night of Wednesday, June, 14, 2017 that police ranks discovered her decomposing body within a shallow grave in the Olivees Mountain area.
Following her disappearance, police had taken a number of individuals into custody for questioning, but they were subsequently released.
However, hours after Napoleon’s body was discovered, police had taken her brother into custody and he was subsequently charged with the capital offence on Saturday, June 17, 2017.
Two days later, police had arrested and charged the then 18-year-old Liddie for the same offence.
