Philipsburg:--- Veronica Young, aunt of the suspect arrested for the murders of American citizens Michael and Thelma King said that the police on St. Maarten jumped to conclusions when they arrested her nephew Meyshane Kemar Johnson for the murder of the Kings. Young said heavily armed police officers visited her home on at least two occasions to look for Johnson but he was not at her house at the time.
The aggravated aunt said that police bypassed the person who found the dead bodies and signed a business contract with the Kings just two days prior to the killings. "People are speaking out on this and I don't condone or harbor criminals. The police said my nephew was a suspect in the Cannegieter Street robbery when they began looking for him." Young further explained that on the night of the robbery her nephew came to her in a hysterical state after police shot at the vehicle he was driving. She said she wanted to take Johnson to the police station that same moment but her nephew told her that he was not involved in any wrong doings. "If my nephew is involved in that robbery then he should be charged for that crime and do the time, but I don't agree with the police trying to pin two murders on him because I know he is innocent." When asked by SMN News if she believes her nephew was involved in the Chinese Restaurant Robbery, Young said she believes that he did it because he was the driver of the car and he is the one that removed the bullet from the vehicle prior to police finding it. Young further explained that police did not find anything in the car because the owner of the car who is operating his father's car rental in Cole Bay told the family that there was nothing in the car when police seized the vehicle. Besides that, the owner of the car collected $300.00 that same night from Johnson to repair the vehicle. "The owner of the car and my nephew have been friends for years and he would always lend his friends cars." The woman admitted that there was more than one person in the vehicle at the time of the robbery but she does not know who those persons are.
Johnson was deported but Returned to the Island Unnoticed.
Young said her nephew was living on the island for quite some years illegally and he was once deported but managed to return to the island. The aunt could not say how long ago Johnson returned to St. Maarten but she said that he began working for Checkmate Security about a year ago as reported by SMN News in an earlier report. When pressed by SMN New reporter to explain why her nephew was moved from Soualiga Service Point (SSP) where he was working for some months, Young said her nephew used to ask the clients that visit the money gram weird questions. "He would ask them how much money they are working for and also take tips from them to put them in the line so that they could conduct their business faster. His boss moved him and placed him at Scotia Bank."
Aunt Accuses Police of Police Brutality --- Police beat him badly when they arrested him.
Veronica Young also accused the detectives that arrested Meyshane Kemar Johnson early Sunday morning of police brutality. She said that when police broke into the house where Johnson and his girlfriend were sleeping they brutalized him. "The police beat him so badly that they had to take him to the hospital for stitches and they also had him on drips at the Simpson Bay Police Outpost. His girlfriend told me that the police even slapped her and called her a bitch and they also arrested her when they arrested Meyshane Johnson."
