Basse Terre:--- The main murder suspect Karell Marcellin in the murder of Cecilia Henry appeared in the Criminal Assizes on Wednesday to answer to charges of premeditated murder and assassination. Marcellin had the opportunity to tell the court about her life as a young girl and how she was brought up. She appeared calm and almost serene at times when she explained the difficulties of her life as young girl who was brought up by a single parent (her mother). She told the court that the most difficult part of her life was when her status as a homosexual (lesbian) was revealed. At that moment she said "I always wanted to be a good person. In fact I wanted to be a policeman, gendarme or a lawyer because I love law. It's been very difficult for me to achieve my dreams or goals and to study because there was not enough money to get me in a boarding school in Martinique." Marcellin told the court she eventually found work on the Dutch side of the island and her employers saw her abilities quite early because she was even promoted.
There were times when Marcellin would cry and then begin to grin when she spoke of her childhood. Despite the poverty, she said she missed nothing. Marcellin seemed sincere and honest when she made her statements to the court, even though the facts of the case were not discussed. Although her statements were clear, she looked confused as she sat in the prisoner's box but she also showed a lust for life. She ended her statements by saying that she will remain positive.
When the trail resumed after a lunch, Marcellin was questioned about the facts of the case. She seemed attached or afraid of the victim because in her mind she was always going to be attacked by the victim Cecilia Henry. The reason for this according to her was because the Gendarmes did not take appropriate actions against Henry who assaulted her more than once. She said the gendarmes refused to even mediate or intervene in the ongoing fights. She told the court that her cry for help was denied even though she knew she was in danger at the hands of Cecilia Henry. Marcellin said if the Gendarmes had done their job this (murder) would not have happened. She tried her best to convince the jury that an offender (Cecilia Henry) was terrorizing almost everyone in the community. The main facts as to how the murder took place and multiple stabs she inflicted on Cecilia were not told to the court. She said she does not know how she ended up on the other side of the street neither could she recall when she pulled out the knife she was carrying in her bag. The gendarmes told the court that Cecilia Henry received almost 60 stab wounds in one minute and 22 seconds.
The hearing had to be suspended but quickly resumed because the defense lawyer Harry Durimel was not given an opportunity to ask the questions he wanted without being interrupted by the bench. Durimel is the defense for Imelda Relus, the mother of Karelle Marcellin. The trial of continues throughout the week.
