Philipsburg:--- The relatives of three of the four victims that were violently killed earlier this year can now breathe a sigh of relief as the police have managed to solve the cases. At a joint press conference held between the Gendarmes, the Dutch Police and Prosecutors Office on Monday the disclosure was made.Chief Public Prosecutor Hans Mos said the suspects confessed to their involvement in the murder of Ludovic Guillevin (the chef on Cheetah Moon), Fiodel Louis (the Haitian Security Guard who was killed while on his way to work), and Eduardo Nova Valdez (the Spanish Pastor whose body was found on Alexis Arnell Road).
These murders were committed between February 26th and March 4th 2011. Behind bars for the brutal murders, rape and string of armed robberies are; Sherwin Roberts (20), Curtley Richards (31) and Julius Serrant (28) all natives of Dominica.
Mos said on Thursday April 7th 2011, three men were arrested. They were to be considered the main suspects of, at that time, two violent robberies and a rape later police arrested two other suspects who were subsequently released.
The Chief Prosecutor explained that the murders committed since February 26th and March 4th showed some similarities and such the investigators assumed that the cases were inter-related and must have been committed by the same person or persons. It must be noted that all three victims were killed violently as they were beaten then shot to death.
Mos said the senior detectives working in the Special Armed Robberies Unit provided very valuable information to the team of detectives that were investigating the murder cases (Regatta Investigators). The Armed Robbery unit pointed out that that within the past months a series of armed robberies were committed at the same locations. Mos said while the three men were arrested for two armed robberies and a rape, the investigators did a side step investigation into the three murder cases to which two of the suspects confessed. He said during the investigation, goods that were stolen during two of the robberies were recovered which led the investigators to the three suspects now in custody. Mos said while investigating these three crimes, the team of detectives focussed on similarities between the three occasions. They were trying to establish whether these similarities could also have significance for the three fatal crime cases in Mullet Bay, at Cay Hill and at the Cake House road. Mos said while the detectives managed to recover the stolen goods they were still unable to establish the identity of the suspects. Furthermore, those suspects were trying to leave the island when they realized police were closing in on them, however, through swift and intense police investigations the investigators managed to close in on the suspects and subsequently arrested them on April 7th.
Police also arrested two other men who were subsequently released, one by the prosecutor's office and the other by the judge of instruction. Mos said the detectives carried out a number of house searches and the suspects were asked to provide DNA samples. The items that were confiscated during the house searches will be examined by the forensic department. Police confiscated a black SUV which was used by one of the suspects as the vehicle matched the vehicle used in the rape case. The suspects confessed to the robberies and rape they are suspected of committing.Mos further explained that when the detectives confronted the trio with the murders they are suspected of committing they confessed their involvement. Police he said managed to obtain detailed information on each of the cases, at times they implicated others in the crimes while admitting to roles they each played. Mos said at the time the murders were committed police had no indication as to who could have committed those crimes. He credited the police and the TGO team for a job well done.
"The interrogations have up to this point brought the Prosecutor's Office and the Police investigation team to the conclusion that these confessions find enough corroboration in the statements of the co-suspects and in the findings on the various crime-scenes. It is therefore that we now feel confident to say that we consider the violent fatal crimes at Mullet Bay, Cay Hill and Cake House Road solved." Mos said.
The investigation so far, seems to indicate that two of the suspects (S.R and C.A.R.) were actively involved in the violent robberies, the rape and the fatal crimes, while a third suspect (J.B.S.) fenced several goods that were taken during these robberies, while knowing the other suspects had committed these crimes. The investigations are still ongoing, Mos said.
In total, given the reported crimes by victims and the three fatal crime cases, it seems that during this investigation Police have solved the following crimes, since the suspects have confessed their role in these crimes:
- Cheetah Moon (Death of L. Guillevin, Mullet Bay, February 26th )
- Learning Unlimited (Death of F. Louis, Chopin Road, March 4th )
- Cake House (Death of E. Nova Valdez, Cake House Road, March 4th)
- Aqua (Rape, February 12th )
- Etna (Violent Robbery, February 12th)
- Zoo (Violent Robbery, February 23rd).
Mos said the culprits were operating as a gypsy taxi to pick up potential victims and if the victims did not want to get in the car, they were sometimes forced to. They were ill treated in the car and taken to a deserted place to be robbed and sometimes even worse, they were killed.The three suspects appeared before the judge of instruction Monday and were remanded to custody for a period of 8 days. They are still under full restrictions and are only allowed to talk to their lawyers.
Chief Commissioner of Police Peter De Witte extends sincerest condolences to the relatives of the victims who are still mourning their loss. De Witte said four fatal crimes were committed within one week, a situation the understaffed police department could not handle alone.
"It is for this reason that the Attorney-General of Curacao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Statia and Saba and the Attorney-General of Aruba together with their competent police forces, have agreed on the so called TGO-arrangement. This "Team Grootschalige Opsporing" (large scale investigation team) is designed to assist in any of the 6 former Dutch Antilles islands when very serious crimes have been committed. When the size of the investigation team needed cannot be provided by that country itself, each and every Police Force from one of the countries will assist to a certain level. This assistance includes the participation of KMAR and RST." De Witte said.
Therefore as the Chief of Police, he expresses gratitude to the Sint Maarten Police Force, both detectives and those in uniform, the Police Forces of Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, RST, Royal Marechaussee, and the French Gendarmes, with whom they have successfully cooperated from the very first moment. The same goes for the French Justice department. Gratitude is also extended to the Dutch forensic specialists who were flown in to support the forensic investigation and who did a wonderful job together with our own forensic team. On top of that we thank the Customs, the Fire Department, the Coastguard and VKS for contributing to the investigation. Special thanks go to the Dutch Marines who helped the Police with crime scene investigation in the early stages of the investigation, shortly after the Regatta. Their contribution, which they generously offered, certainly was of relevance to the investigation. Finally, we would like to thank the two prosecutors and their staff who worked relentlessly in order to solve these fatal crime cases.
De Witte also expressed thanks to the community of Sint Maarten for their patience and confidence. "Case by case Police start to show that in strongly cooperating in fighting crime, this Police Force, together with its partners against crime, can overcome even the most serious crimes on this island. More and more, Police show that by learning on the job the success rate of solving these types of crimes is steadily going up. The times that one could get away with these serious crimes tend to be over. With the help of the public, we can give those, who have criminal intentions or inclinations, a firm warning that Sint Maarten will no longer accept that those responsible for these crimes can and will walk away from it." De Witte said.
Both officers of the law Mos and De Witte said the investigations are far from over and there is still much work to be done, therefore they would still need assistance of Police officers from abroad. Finally, we cannot share the success in this investigation without commemorating the enormous grieve of those who lost their loved ones or who have personally been seriously injured or damaged, both physically and mentally by the crimes that now appear to be solved. Our deepest sympathy goes out to them and we call upon society to surround them with care and love they now so desperately need. The arrests of these suspects, although still to be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, may be a consolation but can never heal the serious wounds that were inflicted.
