PHILIPSBURG:--- The three young men that were convicted of slaughtering Michael and Thelma King in their Cupe Coy villa will appear before the Appeals Court on Thursday December 12th, 2013 to contest the decision taken by the lower court on May 08th, 2013.
The Court of First Instance sentenced the main suspect Meyshane Kemar Johnson to life imprisonment, the other two suspects Jeremiah Chevon Mills (Johnson's first cousin) was sentenced to 28 years imprisonment while the third suspect Jamal Jefferson Woolford was sentenced to 24 years imprisonment.
The three suspects admitted to entering the home of the Kings on the night of September 19th, 2012 with the intention to rob them but before leaving the premises they killed Michael and his wife Thelma who were on the island to open a rum factory.
The Kings murder sent shock waves throughout St. Maarten while the police department did an exceptional job by capturing the first suspect three days after the bodies of Michael and Thelma King were found. The main suspect confessed to police while in pre-trail detention which led them to the other two suspects, Jeremiah Chevon Mills and Jamal Jefferson Woolford. Woolford was captured in St. Thomas as he tried to escape from St. Maarten when he learnt that Johnson had confessed to the killings. Prior to robbing and killing the Kings, the trio robbed the Happy Star Chinese Restaurant.
Attorney at law Brenda Brooks had asked the lower court to deem the prosecutor's case inadmissible because the prosecutor made numerous blunders when they served the main suspect Meyshane Kemar Johnson with the summons to appear in court. However, the judge refused the defense's argument claiming that the rights of the suspect were not violated when he was served two summons on the same day. "While the court ruled in favor of the prosecutor on May 8th, 2013, the Prosecutor's Office took immediate measures against the prosecutor that committed the errors by sending him back to the Netherlands.
In the Court of Appeals, it is expected that the Attorney General of St. Maarten would contest the disbanding of Life Imprisonment which the Constitutional Courts threw out some months ago. It is also expected that the Attorney for Johnson, Brenda Brooks will again contest the errors made by the Prosecutor who was eventually sent back to the Netherlands.
SMN News will bring you the full coverage of the Kings murder convicts appeal hearing. It is expected that the relatives of the late Michael and Thelma King would be on the island for the hearing.
