CHARLESTOWN, Nevis – JEROME KELVIN WILLIAMS, the man who killed 18-year-old schoolgirl Chazere Davis in 2013, was sentenced to serve 20 years with hard labour at Her Majesty’s Prison.
A police statement informed that the sentence was handed down yesterday (Jan. 18) at the Nevis Circuit Court.
After seven appearances in the Nevis Circuit Court before Her Ladyship Justice Margaret Price Findlay, the 54-year-old Maynard’s Ground resident was on Wednesday, November 25, 2015 found guilty of Davis’ murder.
On the night of Monday, May 20, 2013, the motionless body of the Nevis Sixth Form College student was discovered by her grandmother lying on a bed in the Taylor’s Pasture home that they both shared.
A report was made to the police who, having learnt that Williams was the last person with whom she was allegedly seen, went in search of him. They however found that his home was secured and they had to remove a door to gain entry.
On entering the home, the officers found Williams lying in a pool of blood in his bathroom with what appeared to be a self-inflicted wound to his neck.
Williams was taken to the Alexandra Hospital, where he was treated for his injury and warded under police guard.
This media house had learnt that shortly after being admitted to the hospital, Williams’ home was burnt to the ground.
The then 52-year-old man, on Tuesday, May 28, 2013, was subsequently formally arrested and charged on a warrant in the first instance for the murder of the teenager.
An autopsy performed on Davis’ body revealed that she died as a result of strangulation/pressure to the neck.
The trial, which began on Monday, November 16, last year and ended eight days after, had seen Williams being represented by Attorney-at-Law Robelto Hector in collaboration with Saundra Hector and former Attorney-General Patrice Nisbett, while the prosecution team was headed by Special Counsel Dane Hamilton, QC, out of Antigua, who was supported by Crown Counsel Teshaun Vasquez.
Reports that came from freelance journalist Pauline Ngunjiri state that the prosecution team had called on 19 witnesses to take the stand, including the investigating officers and the dead girl’s grandmother.
She also reported that Williams had no witness on his behalf and that he had declined to take the stand when the request was made.
Further reports informed that prosecution witnesses testified that Williams was a neighbour to the deceased who had ran many errands for him, and that for many years he had financially supported her, which led to them having an intimate relationship.
However, as time progressed, Davis had established a relationship with a young man within her age group some two months prior to her demise and a seemingly angry Williams had gotten wind of it.
It was brought out in court that Williams had confronted Davis about the relationship with the young man, whom she had allegedly told that he [Williams] was her godfather. Also, the court was told that shortly before her demise, Davis had sent text messages to the young man informing him that Williams was questioning her on their relationship, but he did not see the messages at that time because he was asleep.
This piece of evidence, which was allegedly still on a cellular phone, was however thrown out.
The grandmother reportedly testified that on the afternoon of that fateful day, Davis was revising her schoolwork in preparation for exams on the following day when Williams, dressed in a boxer shorts and white shirt, had visited the home and was seen seated on the edge of the teen’s bed in her bedroom.
But a few hours after on her return home he was not there, and on entering her granddaughter’s bedroom she discovered her motionless body on the bed.
After the prosecution had wrapped up its case on Friday, November 20, defence counsel made a no-case submission but it was struck down by Her Ladyship.
Closing arguments were heard on Tuesday November 24 from both the prosecution and defence, following which the jury retired to deliberate and shortly after returned a guilty verdict.
