PI into teen’s murder charge adjourned

The case file pertaining to the murder of Pamela Williams is making its way to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions after being stuck at the Criminal Investigations Department.

Teenager Jurani ‘Wanny’ Baptiste has been charged with the gruesome November 14, 2016 murder of Williams, a retired nurse; but yesterday, the commencement of the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the matter was postponed to May 26, 2017.

The Serious Offences Court was given an update on the status of the case by senior prosecutor Adolphus Delpesche.

Delpesche told Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne-Matthias that on March 20, the case file was submitted to the Deputy Commissioner of Police after it was apparently stuck at the office of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). He further stated that the case file was on its way to the DPP and he hopes it arrives shortly.

Browne-Matthias, in turn, informed the defendant, who had hopped to the witness stand, still injured from the beating he received from Kingstown Park residents who met him in Williams’ house, that the matter is being reviewed to see how the Crown would be proceeding.

Police apprehended the Sandy Bay teen last year following a series of gruesome murders that were committed in the space of four hours between Campden Park and Kingstown Park.

When he first appeared before the court he was not allowed to plead to the murder charge and a date for a Preliminary Inquiry (PI) was set for yesterday, March 27, 2017, with 14 persons slated to testify.

Yesterday, after hearing Delpesche’s submission, Browne-Matthias adjourned the PI to May 26, 2017.

Baptiste is also a person of interest in the murders of Nicholas Layne, Avis Israel and her son Ronald Israel, who were also killed the night Williams was murdered. (AS)