BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE two men convicted in the murder of Michelle Weekes-Benjamin are expected to have their application for appeal against conviction heard at next week’s Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Appeal.
William ‘Willy-Esco’ Benjamin and Shervin ‘Squeaky’ George were found guilty of murder and “accessory to murder after the fact” respectively, in relation to Weekes-Benjamin death after her body was found in the incomplete septic tank of a Rosemary Lane building that was under construction.
Benjamin was sentenced to life for killing Michelle while George was sentence to 20 years for his role after her death.
According to previous reports, the prosecution proved that during the early hours of Monday, October 30, 2006, Benjamin smothered Michelle to death while she was in her bedroom.
Further, in accordance with the prosecution’s case, Benjamin enlisted the assistance of Khoy Jeffers and another individual in the disposal of Michelle’s body and the mattress on which she died.
Benjamin, in a statement to the police on November 7, 2006 and also while at the witness stand during his trial, said he killed Michelle because she spat in his food; an act he claimed to have observed.
Having then resided with Michelle and his brother Leroy Benjamin Jr., who was Michelle’s husband, Benjamin told the court that he went out of his room and saw what he described as a “disrespectful” act.
He told the court that after the spitting incident, he went to his room in a frustrated and confused mood, and when he emerged his sister-in-law had already left the kitchen but he decided to go to her room and confront her.
Benjamin further testified that when he confronted her, she ignored him and his persistence led to an argument that erupted into a session of “wrangling”.
He said he held on to her and she stopped moving because she was dead.
However, in a previous statement given to the police under caution, Benjamin said that after observing the spewing incident, he went to his room looking for a weapon and, not finding any, he went to Michelle’s room and met her lying on her stomach.
He said he pounced on her, wrapped his feet around her body and hands and placed his right hand around her neck and his left hand over her mouth.
He also said that he was bitten by her but managed to remove his hand from her mouth, at which point he used his left hand to force her head into a pillow.
After the deed was done, Benjamin explained that, with the use of duct tape and plastic wrap, he bound Michelle’s hands and feet, covered her face and wrapped her in a sheet, called for assistance, placed her and the mattress in a van and went searching for a place to dump the body.
The body was dumped in the septic tank of a building under construction at Rosemary Lane, Basseterre and was discovered by workers on Wednesday, November 1, 2006.
The then accused murderer repeated that he was sorry about the incident and noted that he did not intend to kill her and wished that things did not happen the way they did.
He also maintained that George had no part in the matter and, according to George’s testimony, he did not even see his co-accused on the night of the incident.
Benjamin also explained that his elder brother was in his bedroom sleeping during the entire ordeal.
Further evidence brought out in court however, was that when George was arrested, charged and issued a copy of the charge, he remarked that his charge was not to have been that large seeing that he only extended a helping hand.
Twenty-eight prosecution witnesses and the two accused gave evidence in the case, and on completion lead prosecutor Sir Richard Cheltenham of Barbados gave his final address to the jury, followed by Benjamin’s lawyer, Reginald W. James, and George’s lawyer, Hesketh Benjamin.
The jury deliberated for about 90 minutes after they retired to the jury room.
At his sentencing, George maintained that he neither caused Michelle’s death nor did he have any involvement with the disposal of her corpse.
William Benjamin was 18 years old at the time he committed the offence.
