[dropcap]N[/dropcap]ames like Jezelle Georges, Simone Garnier, Trisha Dennis, Carol Hunte, Alisha Hunte and Oliver Gobat ought to be etched in the minds of all Saint Lucians. Chances are the majority would have a hard time recalling they were all brutally murdered several years ago, some barely out of their teens. Trisha Dennis was not yet a teen when she was sexually assaulted and killed.
It’s anyone’s guess what went on in the minds of their parents, relatives and friends last week, when nearly all we heard on the news was related to Botham Jean, shot to death in his own apartment by a Texas police officer who claimed she had mistaken Jean’s quarters for her own. Last month a spokesperson for the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force announced plans to begin looking into the several unresolved cold cases on its record, with a new resolve to bring perpetrators to justice.
But when I asked the ACP for Crime and Intelligence, Mr. Wayne Charlery, what was the total the number of cold cases, his answer was: “I don’t know right now. We are reviewing them, going as far back as we can, and I’m hoping before the end of October to be in a position to answer that question.” He speculated that there could be as many as 500 homicides to be resolved. “This is why it’s very important to take a good and strong look back as to what has happened, and to have a team dedicated to it.” He suggested persons who are committing crimes now may have also perpetrated crimes ten to fifteen years ago.
He noted that Saint Lucia was not alone, that other countries also had their cold cases, their unresolved rapes and homicides. “In any given instance,” said Charlery, “if you are able to solve, say 50% of the cases you get, you’d be lauded and praised as one of the best investigative departments in the entire world. It goes with the territory that more than half of the cases would not be solved.” To the best of his knowledge, in the last ten years there have not been any cold cases reopened in Saint Lucia. “I don’t think we’ve really ever looked very strongly at that side of investigations,” he said. “I’m subject to correction but I don’t think so. That is why it is important to begin now.”
Charlery promised that after a review of the cases on record, a special team will be assigned to them. “What we want to do at some point is, having looked at the backlog of unsolved cases, do a selection of cases that have the potential to be solved. We will call on the public to provide us with the necessary information.” Referencing the case of Jezelle Georges, who was raped and killed at her parents’ Bonneterre home at high noon, and Simone Garnier, in particular, Charlery said they are of great interest and will form part of the initial fifty-two selected cases. The Major Crimes Unit, the department that deals with complex and complicated homicide cases, will handle each case.
One key element in this initiative will be the role of the media, Charlery said. Various strategies will be rolled out in collaboration with news agencies, in an effort to sensitize the public. If or when perpetrators are eventually arrested for crimes committed years ago, a waiting period for the cases to see their day in court may still arise. The criminal division of the high court, which handles all criminal cases, has been closed from April.
