St Vincent: 22-year-old charged for kidnapping and killing 1-year-old

St Vincent and the Grenadines: A 22-year-old man who was arrested on Saturday, 10th February in connection with the offence of kidnapping and killing a 1-year-old has been finally charged on Sunday, 25th February 2024. 

As per the details shared by the authorities, the charges were read against the accused on Monday at the Major Crime Unit, Police Headquarters, Kingstown. 

The accused has been identified as Jeremiah Samuel and a resident of Rose Hall and the victim has been identified as 1 year old infant, Jane Samuel-Wright of the same residential area.

According to the reports, the accused stole and carried away the infant without the permission of her mother. Subsequently, the little girl died because of the slashing in the throat. 

Jeremiah Samuel was also charged with malice aforethought which means the intention to purposely cause death or harm to the other person. 

Moreover, Samuel also appeared at the Kingstown Magistrate Court, where he was presented before Senior Magistrate Colin John, who laid the charges against him. 

This is not the first case in St Vincent and the Grenadines where a child had to face such a miserable death, as the country has experienced such stances of crimes in the past also. Therefore, various community residents took to their social media accounts extended their condolences to the deceased’s family and expressed their views on the news. 

One person with a Facebook account Adriana King commented “Just another waiting game… we don’t have a psychiatrist on island. For those who want to champion justice, we have to look at the causes of delayed justice.”

Another person with a Facebook handle John Prince commented the following “Sad sad my prayers are with the family it’s the same family.”

“How do you sleep doing a disgusting crime like this, such criminals should be punished strictly,” wrote a person. 

The residents of the community have requested the authorities and administration of the country to take stringent measures in order to curb such crimes. The citizens have expressed their concern and anger regarding the safety of infants. However, the authorities have stated that they are taking proactive measures, to ensure the security of every citizen of the nation.