Man wanted in Canada for murder to be extradited

A man wanted in Canada for multiple charges including murder will be extradited from St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Serious Offences Court (SOC) on Thursday, September 15, granted the extradition request and ruled that Canadian/Vincentian Shamora Robertson will return to Canada to face the justice system there.

Prior to this conclusion, an extradition hearing was conducted which was presided over by Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne.

During the proceedings, the state was represented by crown counsel Kaylia Toney who called multiple witnesses, including Assistant Superintendent of Police, Junior Simmons, who is the head of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Unit at the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force(RSVGPF).

Simmons informed that he had knowledge that a warrant of apprehension had been issued by the SOC for the arrest of Shamora Robertson of Ottley Hall. He said this was pursuant to the Fugitive Offenders Act and for the offences of: first degree murder; assault with a weapon; possession of a prohibited weapon/ammunition knowing that the possession was unauthorized, and possession of a prohibited weapon with ammunition.

The crimes were allegedly committed in Montreal, Canada, on April 30, 2016, and the victim’s name was Gilbert Nshimiyumukiza.

There were two other co-accused in Canada: Jermaine Gero and Nikita Hunt (A Vincentian), who pleaded guilty in 2018 and are incarcerated in a Canadian prison. Gero admitted to second degree murder while Hunt pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Simmons said that a warrant of apprehension and two bundles of documents requesting the extradition of Robertson to Canada were handed over to him on June 1, 2022, by the Commissioner of Police(COP) Colin John.

Included in the first bundle was an affidavit from a criminal prosecuting attorney in the office of the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions Montreal, Canada which outlined the facts of the case against Robertson.

In the second bundle there was included a sworn affidavit from a detective sergeant from the Montreal Police Service, outlining the record of the case.

Simmons said the bundle contained replica exhibit of: the warrant of arrest issued by Canadian authorities; a copy of the complaint against Robertson; endorsement of a warrant; the legal provisions or statutes under which the request has been made, and the photographs and fingerprints of Robertson.

A summary of the allegations against the defendant was also provided by Montreal police.

It is said that the deceased, Nshimiyumukiza, and his friend lived in the same apartment in Montreal. It is alleged that they both used to purchase Marijuana from Robertson, and that sometime in May, 2016, Robertson met Nshimiyumukiza on the street, pushed him and demanded money that was owed to him.

When he returned home, Nshimiyumukiza apparently told his roommate that this had occurred.

The roommate and Nshimiyumukiza visited Robertson to ascertain the reason for the supposed aggression.

They did not meet him, so they left a message with his friend.

Subsequently, on April 30, 2016, four men entered Nshimiyumukiza’s apartment, and while there an argument broke out about drugs and money.

The four burglars held Nshimiyumukiza and his friend hostage while they searched the apartment.

While this was happening, Nshimiyumukiza’s friend was assaulted by Gero, and when they were leaving one of the men shot Nshimiyumukiza in the head.

The Montreal police launched an investigation and three men were apparently positively identified by photo Identification and DNA evidence retrieved from the scene.
A few days after the incident Robertson absconded Canada and could not be located.

He apparently arrived in St Vincent and the Grenadines on or about May 2, 2016.

Simmons conducted investigations to confirm that the person named in the warrant of apprehension issued by the Vincentian court was the same person in the warrant of arrest issued by the Canadian authorities.

On June 9, 2022 the ASP obtained a detailed report from the electoral office in SVG in the name of Robertson, which showed his full name and date of birth as February 7, 1987. The document bore a photograph of the ID card of Robertson who is Canadian born to Vincentian parents.

The police subsequently took the accused into custody, and Simmons spoke with him at the police station on June 27, 2022. The ASP said that he showed him a copy of the warrant of apprehension, arrest, and asked him if the person named in the warrant was him. Simmons said that Robertson said it was, and “officer these are fake charges”.

The extradition hearing took place over a couple of days, the last of which was Thursday, September 15.

Following the court’s decision to grant the request, Robertson has two weeks within which he can file an appeal, in which case the High Court will hear the matter.