William Benjamin guilty of murder;
Squeaky of accessory
By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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William Benjamin
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - FRIENDS and family members of the late Michelle Weekes-Benjamin breathed sighs of relief earlier this evening when her alleged attacker William Benjamin and his accomplice Shervin ‘Squeaky’ George were convicted of her murder and accessory after the fact to murder respectively.
At approximately 6:10 this evening (Oct. 24), after less than two hours of deliberations, the seven-woman-five-man jury told the court that it had unanimously found that both men were guilty as charged.
According to the jury, the prosecution proved that during the early hours of Monday, October 30, 2006, William Benjamin smothered Michelle to death while she was in her bedroom.
Further, in accordance with the prosecution’s case, William Benjamin enlisted
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| Shervin ‘Squeaky’ George |
assistance from Khoy Jeffers and another individual in the disposal of Michelle’s body and the mattress on which she died.
William Benjamin, in a statement given to the police on November 7, 2006 and also while at the witness stand yesterday, said he killed Michelle because she spat in his food; an act which he claimed to have observed.
Having then resided with Michelle and his brother Leroy Benjamin Jr., who is also Michelle’s husband, William 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.
William 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 the statement he gave to the police under caution, William 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, as William 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.
~~Adz:Left~~ 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 didn’t intend to kill her and wished that things did not happen the way they did.
William Benjamin 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. William Benjamin also explained that his brother, Leroy Benjamin Jr., 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 gave his final address to the jury, followed by William Benjamin’s lawyer, Reginald W. James, and George’s lawyer, Hesketh Benjamin.
The trial judge, Justice Francis Belle rehashed the evidence in the case for the benefit of the jury, and at about 4:35 this afternoon the jury retired for deliberations. The jury emerged about one hour and a half later and informed its findings.
Justice Belle ordered a social inquiry for the two men and also a psychiatric evaluation for William Benjamin. William Benjamin is to return to court on December 17, 2008 when his sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin while George has to return on December 3, 2008.
On hearing the reading of the verdict, Michelle Weekes-Benjamin’s friends and relatives embraced each other as they left the court house.
Charges were also brought against Michelle’s husband [Leroy Benjamin Jr.] and Khoy Jeffers, but sometime before the trial began the DPP had indicated to the court that she had filed nolle-prosequi application on behalf of both men and they were freed of the charge.
