MARIGOT:--- Ma’at King aka Jay Jay was identified as the man that was killed by a car in a hit-and-run on Sucker Gaden road on November 12 and has been laid to rest. A funeral service was held for the singer, whose birth name is Jean Barry Hodge. Hodge was the leader of the SXM Resistance, a movement that started on the French side in July 2021. The well-known activist body was released to the family a month after being held to assist with an ongoing investigation.
A number of persons showed up to pay their respect to Hodge at the Eglise Saint-Martin de tours church in Marigot. According to the official police report, a fairly young man police estimated age between thirty and forty years old – was found dead by the side of the Sucker Garden road. Police determined he was the victim of a hit-and-run. The somewhat burly and bearded man was walking in the vicinity of the intersection of Arch Road and Sucker Garden road on Sunday morning, around 5:00 am. He was wearing a neon green vest over his black sportswear, which would have made him readily visible to oncoming traffic.
The Police investigation quickly determined that the driver of a dark gray car struck the man and did not stop to check on him. Instead, he drove on, police stated. Shortly afterward, detectives of the St. Maarten police force KPSM found the car abandoned in the area of Upper Princes’ Quarter. An investigation by the traffic department of KPSM revealed who the driver of the car was. Detectives determined his whereabouts and arrested the man that same afternoon. The suspect was taken to the police station where he was detained pending further investiga
