Vincentian man charged with brutal murder of relative

Murder accused Shorn Samuel being escorted to prison on remand after a brief court appearance on Thursday December 14, 2006 (Photo: Kenara Woods/Searchlight Newspaper)

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, December 15, 2006 - A 35-year old relative was yesterday charged with the brutal murder of 21 year old Stacy Wilson of Vermont, located about five miles north of the capital on the west coast.

It was a dark day under grey skies and rainy conditions that the handcuffed Shorn Samuel, shielding his face, arrived at the Serious Offences Court in the capital to crowds of angry people some of whom were placard bearing demonstrators. Officers of the Special Services Unit of the Police force kept the crowd under a watchful eye but apart from a few boisterous women who demanded his head the people were peaceful.

Samuel was not allowed to plead as it was an indictable offence. During the brief court appearance he asked the presiding magistrate for bail which was quickly denied.

Protestors from the Purple Ribbon Campaign against violence against girls and women bore placards reading: "Stop the violence against women and girls" were held high in the air even before Samuel was brought handcuffed to Court and they remained there for the 15 to 20 minute duration of the appearance.

Stacy's mother, Emelia Nanton, said that Shorn who is a distant relative had hounded Stacy for about a year now and kept saying that she was his wife.

"After we told him to stop coming around here, he would become angry and said that I was blocking him from Stacy," Nanton said in an interview which appeared in today's edition of the Searchlight newspaper.

Speaking of the Monday evening when she received the news she said she was sitting on her porch when two guys came running and told her that "Stacy geh chop up in town and dead."

Moments before she had a premonition and thought something was wrong.

Reports say that the man accosted Stacy in the Leeward Bus Terminal Monday evening during rush hour when there were hundreds of people around. She brushed off his advances and boarded a mini-van. The man disappeared and came back soon afterwards with rope and a cutlass. He pulled her from the van and started his attack, cutting of a wrist and struck her head. The head did not fall. People on the scene reported that he allegedly held the neck and sawed off the head with the sword.

The killing sent shock waves throughout the Vincentian community across the world. Within hours explicit photos and videos were in circulation on the super information highway.

Police responded within minutes but were too late to save Stacy but they apprehended the man, dispersed the crowd, and secured the crime scene.