Airport:--- The relatives of slain Americans Michael and Thelma King had nothing but praise for the Police Department (KPSM) for apprehending the three suspects that murdered Michael and Thelma King in their Cupe Coy Condominium on September 19th, 2012. Todd King who spoke to SMN News on Thursday on behalf of the family said that the detectives (officers of KPSM) showed their professionalism when they assured them that those involved in murdering their loved ones will be apprehended and brought to justice.
Todd King said he is still wondering how the police department knew they were coming to St. Maarten the day after the murders took place. He said the family did not inform anyone that they were coming to the island. Todd King said he visited St. Maarten before but when they left their country to come and deal with the horrific deaths of their loved ones they were fearful of the island and did not know how they would have been treated. "I just don't know how the police knew we were coming but when I reached immigration and I gave my passport, suddenly I saw a hand waived and immediately after we were introduced to detective Dientje Muller who drove us straight to the police station where we met over 40 officers who all assured us that the killers will be found. We saw a police force that acted with professionalism and officers who felt our pain and sorrow." Todd King further explained that shortly after that they met with the Prosecutors who did a very good job in explaining to them the difference in the American law and the Dutch law and what they should expect at the trial. One of the things the Kings said they asked the Prosecution to do was to demand a life sentence for Johnson, the man who admitted to murdering Michael and Thelma King on several occasions.
"We read those statements and I want to state that the suspects told a different story in their statements to police when they were first apprehended and did not have contact with each other. But when they appeared in court on April 10th, 2013 they changed some of their statements. Johnson gave police five detailed statements prior to the trial and he gave police the gruesome details of the robberies and killings but in court on April 10th, 2013 he suddenly got amnesia. Another conflicting statement that was told to the court is that Jeremiah Chevon Mills and Jamal Jefferson Woolford claimed they were not inside the house when the murders took place. In the statements to police they admitted to being inside the house when Johnson killed Michael King. Jamal Jefferson Woolford told the court that he was not inside the villa when Michael King was killed but in his statements to police he gave details on how Mike was killed because he was inside the villa. We read the statements and we compared them and what the defense attorney told the court on April 10th was not reflective of what really transpired. We thought from the inception that if the judge read the statements we read then justice would have been served." Todd King said the entire family was convinced that the three murderers would not have gotten away.
When SMN News asked the Kings how they felt when they heard of the mistakes that were made by the prosecution, they said they discussed it but would prefer not to comment on that. They also said that the main suspect Meyshane Kemar Johnson smiled when he was leaving the courtroom on Wednesday even though he was given a lifetime sentence. They said they heard what Jeremiah Mills said to the police officer but they did not see when he smirked at them, but for them Johnson had a big smile on his face throughout the sentencing and when he left the courtroom.
Killings and Trial took a toll on Michael King's mother.
The siblings said that their mother could not return to St. Maarten to witness the outcome and the decision the judge rendered because after the trial she got really sick. "All of this took a lot out of our mother because when she went back to the United States after the trial she ended up being sick for a few weeks." When SMN News reporter asked how she reacted when she heard of the court decision, the siblings said their mother reacted very emotionally.
Who were Michael and Thelma King?
For the first time the King family decided to give information on Michael and Thelma King whose lives were snatched away by three greedy young men who were trying to get quick money. The King family said Michael and Thelma King dated from the time they were very young. They broke off their relationship when Michael moved away to Texas and went to study. When he returned to the home town after school he was a broke young man who went to live with his brother and his wife (Todd and Paula King). Not long after he returned home he met Thelma and they started back dating and finally they got married. Thelma King was five years older than Michael but they were a very happy couple. Thelma King was working in a major US bank.
Todd further explained that Mike's best friend Brad had an insurance agency and his friend hired him. Todd said within a period of time his brother did really well and he was promoted to a district manager and at some point he convinced his brother Todd to go and work with him and he too became a district manager. Sometime later, Michael was promoted to General Manager and that was when they moved to Charleston where he met David Kennedy. Todd said about ten years ago Michael and Thelma King visited St. Maarten with their friend David Kennedy. He said at some point his brother got out of the insurance business and got into business with David Kennedy in a labeling company. Todd said that Michael and David developed that company and that too became very successful. Some four to five years ago his brother sold that company and decided that he was going to further invest in St. Maarten. Todd said Michael and Thelma King were frequent visitors of St. Maarten and they invested in seven properties on the island. Their latest venture was to invest their monies in a rum factory. The King family described the couple as very friendly and they were people that everyone wanted to be around.