Young lawyer shot to death

With less than 15 pounds of pressure on a gun’s trigger, one of Chateaubelair’s brightest lights was snuffed out by an assassin’s bullet, throwing the entire community and it’s Diaspora into mourning.{{more}}

Bertram “Bolo” Stapleton began life in Chateaubelair, the eighth of Annette Stapleton’s nine children. When he was four years old, his mother died giving birth to his last sibling, so Bertram grew up with no mother and an absentee father.

Bertram never dwelt on his situation, and from day one, wanted to become a lawyer. His classmates fondly remember him going to the Magistrate’s court on Thursdays and reenacting the courtroom antics of veteran lawyer Arthur Williams afterwards in class.



Teona Stapleton, wife of the murdered attorney seen here coming to terms with her loss.

After graduating from the Petit Bordel Secondary School (PBSS) in 1990, Bertram left for Antigua and became a police officer. While there, he even started a fowl farm before he went to England to study law.

In 2005, Bertram returned to St Vincent with his Dominican born wife Teona whom he met at law school, and two of his three sons.

After starting out with another law firm, Bertram started his own firm two and a half years ago.

His distraught secretary Sherry-Ann Woods-Smith told SEARCHLIGHT, “He sought me out and offered me the job, telling me that he remembered that I was a fast typist from school days”.



Stapleton’s Secretary Sherry-Ann Woods-Smith (centre) reflects on her boss’ death with family members.

Sherry-Ann said that she fell ill on Tuesday evening, so she didn’t plan to go to work the next day. She therefore had her mother call the office on Wednesday morning to tell her boss that she wasn’t coming in. When her mother called, she didn’t get Stapleton, but a female intern who told her that he hadn’t arrived yet.

Sherry-Ann said about 20 minutes later, the phone rang and the intern told her that they heard shots fired and that they were afraid to go out, so they locked the office door. She said that the young woman told her that when they went out a little later, they saw so much blood that they ran back into the office again. “I don’t know what Bertram could have done anyone, he was like my brother, I will miss him,” Sherry-Ann said.



Bertram’s brother, Fitzroy Stapleton

While Bertram lived at Layou, his three children lived in Chateaubelair. He would therefore visit every weekend to “old talk” and play dominoes under the almond tree at Sharpes Park.

On 1st July, while delivering the feature address at the PBSS graduation ceremony, Bertram brought tears to many eyes when he told the audience that he never wore shoes while he attend primary school.

“It was the real deal in that speech,” said Egbert “Jahligh” Edwards. “This man didn’t have one enemy in the whole ah Chateaubelair. Ah tell the I, as a big man I bawl, we could never replace Bolo, is the worst day in Chato,” Jahlight said.

Esron “Saka” Thompson, owner of Beachfront restaurant said, “It is a sad day for Chateaubelair, Bolo never forgot where he came from”.



Police officers are pictured here removing computers and documents from Stapleton’s office as they hunt for clues that may lead them to his killer.

Chateaubelair born, Antiguan policeman Alanzo Michael told SEARCHLIGHT that it was Stapleton who encouraged him to join the Antigua police force and that he lived with him for a while. “Bolo was like a brother to me. We were supposed to meet at German’s shop at Layou last night, but my aunt wanted to sleep so I took her home,” Michael said. “I spent the whole carnival weekend with him and we were planning to hang the whole summer, Michael further stated.

Around 9:00am on Wednesday, when the news that Stapleton was killed began circulating in Chateaubelair, it was as if the community came to a stand still for a minute, then bawling broke out all over the place. Sileitha “Ettie” Howe said “Ah mus bawl, Bolo real-up with all me children. Ah me use to wash gee Bolo, an anything me children dem eat, Bolo bin haffu eat to.”

While the Community is trying to come to grips with the situation, many are calling for justice or vengeance, while some are simply asking, “Why”?