Gertude King, echoed through the church.”][/caption]A 20-year-old woman is dead. Two females, one 13 years old, are in a jail cell in two separate parts of the island, charged with her murder.

The incident occurred June 13, 2009. Kivana King was stabbed several times in the back while at a bar in the community of Ciceron, where all the young women live.

Ciceron has had its ups and downs but of late has quieted. There are schools, shops, bakeries and the community is also the location of the Holy Children’s Home for kids who don’t have anyone to care for them.

Of course, like most other communities, there are areas that are considered no-go zones: take for example the infamous Monkey Town or The Gulf, where many of the residents are people who were moved from the troublesome Conway area over a decade ago.

The scene of the murder was a bar on the main Ciceron road. Next to it stood a building marked, “outreach center.” Just above it, alongside the road, were a group of young men, who seemed like they had nothing constructive to
occupy their time. Apart from their loud talking, things were relatively quiet. There was very little activity going on, save for the buses traveling on the road and some guys repairing auto parts in the “motorcycle shop.”

Further down was the home of the 13-year-old accused, which was my main interest for being in Ciceron. It was a concrete house fenced with barbed wire. Sitting outside were two young people who I later learned were the sister and brother of the accused.

At first they seemed reluctant to answer any questions, calling out to their mother, who came out wrapped in a bath towel. The moment she appeared at the door, my presence angered her.
“I cannot talk to you right now, maybe some other time but not right now,” she quickly said, She then went back in and shut the door behind her.
Despite her dismissing attitude, I pressed further. She then came to the window and said her daughter getting arrested and the murder has affected them all. She added that other media personnel had come to her but she refused to speak to them and I wasn’t about to get special treatment.
I then tackled the sister and brother of the accused who spoke to me from behind the fence while I stood on the roadside. Of course they had heard the reports of how much of troublemaker their sister was, that she had dropped out of school, among other things.
But to them she was their sister, not a monster. The brother of the 13-year-old suspect, who is pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration at the Sir Arthur Community College, stated that the family was not aware of his sister having any problems with the deceased. Her sister who is also pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Hospitality at the same college said she had a good relationship with them. Someone was peeping through the window, when I asked who it was, the sister responded, “that’s her favourite brother.” She added that he had just completed secondary school.

Both siblings vigorously denied that the accused had dropped out of school. “She is still going to school, up to when the incident happened,” the sister said.
“She is more articulate than all of us,” her brother blurted out. That was confirmed by one the girl’s teachers, who also surprisingly got very defensive at indications that the accused had been expelled from the top-notch all girls school.

“She is still a student here,” she said, also dismissing allegations that the accused had once slapped a nun.
Another employee at the school, who was present at the time, repeatedly said that rumours about the young girl were false. Requests to speak with the school principal did not amount to much as she was absent.

But back to the family of the accused, who by all accounts, appear normal enough. And by that we mean St Lucia normal! Needless to say although they all knew the victim of the murder they did not attend the funeral. The murder in the community has caused deep divisions and has torn apart neighbours. Some feel that King was the troublemaker and others that the accused is.

At Kivana King’s funeral service held at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Castries, a friend of the deceased described her as a no-nonsense person who liked to party. King, who lived in Monkey Town but is originally from Grande Riviere, left behind two children, one boy age four and a girl, one year six months.

The scene outside the church seemed chaotic and it was clear the service would not start at the scheduled 3pm. The family of the deceased appeared unsettled, walking about aimlessly. The normal attire associated with funerals was ignored as people who knew Kivana paid their respects. This was no service for a dignitary. Kivana was street, all the way to the grave.

Parliamentary Representative for Castries South Dr Robert Lewis, with his coat and tie and neat hair cut, didn’t fit in with the rest at the funeral. He made it clear to me that he was there in his official capacity and he knew nothing about the case.

From the beginning to the end of the service there were piercing cries from King’s grandmother. One of Kivana’s child’s father sobbed quietly. Others at the funeral, mostly young people, were stone faced,
no doubt thinking of their friend who never lived to see 21.