Vandyke King, the Park Hill man accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death while she was holding their 1-year-old daughter in her arms, last Saturday, cried as he arrived at court on Tuesday.
King, a 34-year-old former police officer, arrived at the Serious Offences Court in handcuffs and wearing a blue t-shirt, long blue jeans and slippers, escorted by officers from the Major Crime Unit.
He is charged that he murdered Mickiesha Gumbs, 26, at Park Hill last Saturday.
King, his eyes red, apparently from crying, used a hand rag to wipe tears from his eyes as he made the short walk from the police SUV to the court building.
“Don’t cry. Don’t cry,” a woman, said to be one of his relatives, told the accused murderer as he walked.
Before the court proceedings began, King asked detectives to allow him to speak with his brother, who he said was in the hallway immediately outside the courtroom.
King’s matter was the first on Chief Magistrate’s Rechanne Browne’s list when the court opened shortly after 9 a.m.
She read the murder charge to the man, telling him that he was not required to plead to the indictable offence.
Court orderly Corporal of Police Atnel Ash told the court that the prosecution had identified 15 witnesses and were asking for three months before the commencement of a preliminary inquiry.
King, an aviation security officer at Argyle International Airport, was remanded in custody until June 15.
Counsel Ronald Marks is representing him.
On Monday, Gumbs’ older sister, Joseth Gumbs told iWitness News that King had repeatedly abused her sister during their five-year relationship.
Reports are that King accosted Gumbs and stabbed her in the neck after someone called him at his workplace, telling him that someone driving a vehicle had just brought his girlfriend home.
King is said to have left the airport, where he worked, and travelled to
Park Hill, where he allegedly murdered his girlfriend.
Joseth told iWitness News
that a pastor had met Mickiesha, her daughter, and other relatives and had
given them a ride as they were walking home.
I must first express my sympathy to the family of the decease, especially her young children. This is very sad and unfortunate situation.
The questions are: are we doing enough to protect our women and are we doing doing enough to discourage men from committing such violent heartless acts?
Women in SVG have been exposed to a long history of violence. I have witness this from a long time. I am now forty six (46) years old. I can recall at age eight (8) hearing of young school girl, who was slain in Marriaqua. She was a high school student who was killed by a male who felt no one else should have her but him. This happened 38 years ago and there has been many cases since then.
The fact is, abusing women is ingrained in our culture as a means of gaining respect and settling scores. In some cases, it seems acceptable by some women or perhaps they do not want to leave the relationship because of economic reasons or purely out of natural love and affection. If a women is in bondage leaving may be very difficult. For whatever reasons there needs to be a more temperamental approach at dealing with domestic problems.
Many men feel the solution to infidelity or disagreements is to beat your spouse. I have experienced infidelity. I struggled for a while but quite sensible my education, training and family values helped me. The way I dealt with it was to say to myself there are six (6) billion people in the world and more than half of this are women. I told myself there was someone better out there for me. As painful as it was, I moved on and now I felt that I am with the most loving human being to have ever graced the face of earth. Every domestic situation is unique in its own way. They may require a very long time to work through.
It may not be easy for a woman to leave a man or vice versa. However, a woman should feel compel to make report to the Police whenever she is abused. The police should immediately contact the social services who should in turn evaluate the case and move the woman to safety. The man must be compelled to seek counseling legally through a Government sanctioned program.
Dealing with domestic issues from a national prospective is difficult but I call on the Government to implement a program in our schools to address behavioral issues particularly among males. We can only break this cycle of violence by changing a generation.
The Government should commission an inquiry into the Police and Social Services handling of Domestic violence cases over the past ten years. This should not be done as a means of penalizing anyone but to identify mistakes and improve the system. We must try to learn from our past. We owe it to the victims and their relatives to improve our handling of these matters.
Citizens must become more vigilant around matters of domestic violence and violence against children. It should matter who is involved. Every citizens must see it as their civic duty to report domestic abuse and child abuse. It is our duty to help reshape our society. This is the only way we can break the cycle of violence against women in our country.
You have not started crying yet, you had enough time to calm down before you got to Park Hill, she was not your property, you allowed yourself to be used by the devil over and over again. Big men with little self esteem. Neighbor may your sleep be interrupted for years to come.
Colossians 3:8 states: “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, …” How true are these words of the Almighty God, who knows and understands human nature better than anyone else. It is a pity that this man didn’t put away his anger, his wrath, and malice before killing the lady. He had ample time, moving from the airport to Park Hill, to cool down. The person who called him and created trouble is to be blamed also for the murder. What a stupid act the caller did! The caller’s time would have been better spent doing something useful, such as giving someone else good advice, rather than making trouble, resulting in murder. The caller is deserving of being arrested and charged himself/herself. Hope useful lessons are learnt by all of us from this horrible situation.
YOU aint start to cry yet!!!!!!
I hooe the person who called him with the commess can live with themself knowing they caused her death.
SMH… Too late!! You have to think before you act. We vincy men still have the mentality that we own women.
TIME TO CHANGE!!!
Why is the Woman telling him don’t cry. He ain’t cry yet plenty more to come day and night !
Why do you wait until she is murder to speak about her abuse you could have helped her then. To late now !! What help is it now. You should keep your mouth close now too like you did !!!
Shame on you brother shame on you. You killed the woman just because somebody dropped her home on a vehicle. Shame. Ayo vincentians sick
May she rest in peace! “Schubert, Franz – String Quintet in C major, D. 956 – 2. Adagio” by far too much violence and crimes of passion in SVG!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWIFhH94f0E
We abandon God at our peril. Will others like him now learn?
JEALOUS MAN HE NEEDS TO BE PUNISH THE MAXIMUM PUNISHMENT, DEATH PENALTY IF POSSIBLE.
I am in full support.
The shame is on all of us Vincentians for having abandoned community for our most selfish individualism. May this terrible tragedy cause us all to question our most regrettable and sad behaviour and also cause us to wish well for those most unfortunate children who are now both motherless and fatherless? This is SVG today!
Perhaps Kenton, through his good offices may seek to find an opportunity and know-how so as to set up an endowment, if possible in this poor mother’s name, to which we would only be most pleased and gladly contribute.
These are indeed very sad times for us all as Vincentians, to see such a young mother’s life cut short through ignorant violence and “crimen pasional”! Most sad, most sad indeed! May she rest peacefully!
The Dover String Quartet plays Schubert: String Quintet in C major, op. 163, D. 956 – Adagio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTbwfFUhTXU
first thing first charge the caller second vincention woman need to put a stop to abuse third people have a way of saying am not getting in people if you see something say something five years no to late
I wish those jail buddys will bull him . Ten of them should give it to him. Then and any then he will see what jail is like to be caged with my he lowest cums in society.
If what is said about someone calling him to tell him that someone brought her home is true, tells a story in itself. Gossip, meddling in other people business to the point where it caused someone death is serious. I remember another woman and all but one of her children were killed in similar circumstances in Gomea.
The third party is being. Malacious.