High-profile accused murderer Veron Primus, 33, has escaped prison in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for the second time in just over a year.
Commissioner of Police Colin John confirmed the prison escape to iWitness News Wednesday morning.
He said that Primus and Ulrick Hanson, another murder accused, were discovered missing from their cells at Her Majesty’s Prison in Kingstown around 6 a.m. Wednesday.
The various law enforcement agencies have been mobilised to try to recapture the accused murderers as soon as possible, the police chief said.
Police said in a statement that both men are considered armed and very dangerous. If seen, contact the police immediately at telephone number 1784-4571211 or 1784-456-1102 or Her Majesty’s Prison at telephone number 784-457-1937.
“Please approach the fugitives with caution,” the bulletin said.
Primus has been in custody since April 2016 when he was arrested and charged in connection with the November 2015 murder of 33-year-old real estate agent Charlene Greaves.
Greaves’ body was found with stab wounds at her office in Arnos Vale on Nov. 13, 2015.
Primus was committed to stand trial for that killing but escaped prison in September 2019.
Primus turned himself in after that jailbreak and pleaded guilty to a charge that between Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 2019, at Kingstown, while being held on remand at Her Majesty’s Prisons, he did escape such lawful custody.
Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne sentenced Primus to 16 months in prison, for that offence, a sentence he was still serving at the time of his escape.
Suspended prison officer Louie Cupid, 46, of Murray’s Village, is being tried on two corruption charges in connection with that prison escape.
Police cracked the Greaves murder case in April 2016 as they were investigating Primus’ alleged abduction of fellow Vermont resident Mewannah Hadaway, then 24.
Primus was charged with one count of kidnapping, two counts of rape and two counts of buggery after he allegedly kept Hadaway against her will at a house in Vermont, from Jan. 1 to April 15, 2016.
Those charges were withdrawn because the virtual complainant, having migrated, was not available to testify at the preliminary inquiry in 2017.
Meanwhile, the other accused murderer to escape prison during the jailbreak this week was, in May, sentenced to six months in prison for inducing into Her Majesty’s Prison one black Alcatel cellular phone and charger, which are prohibited articles.
At the time, Hanson, as well as his co-accused, Glenville Harry, of Vermont, and Jerome Ollivierre, of Mayreau, were awaiting trial in connection with the 2018 murder of Rodney George, a 50-year-old security guard, of Victoria Village.
George’s body was found with his throat slit on Sept. 1, 2018 and police placed his death as having occurred sometime between Aug. 31, and Sept. 1.
The accused are also charged with entering the GEC Auto Supplies at Arnos Vale between Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, 2018, as trespassers, and stealing EC$2,074 in cash, the property of Gevandean Wilson, owner of the business.
Also, Hanson and Harry, along with Racquann Robinson, of Campden Park, and Elroy Rodgers, of New Montrose, and suspended Police Constable Ettian Charles, of Arnos Vale, escape further prosecution after physician Reisha Browne-Caesar, the wife of Agriculture Minister Saboto Caesar, refused to testify earlier this year in a case that they robbed her at gunpoint of items valued EC$10,350 and documents outside her Cedars home in September 2016.
Primus has also been indicted in the United States — where he lived for almost two decades — in connection with the 2006 murder of Chanel Petro-Nixon, 16, in Brooklyn, New York.
Officials in SVG have said that they had received no formal request for extradition and any such request would be considered after the Primus’ legal matters in SVG have been disposed of.
What to say? This dude Veron Primus is making a joke out of our court system. I hope the police would terminate this scumbag on site.
It is now over 5 years since these alleged crimes of Mr Primus have started. What are the courts waiting for?…all the witnesses to die of old age if not migrate to other jurisdictions? With all the anomalies mentioned in the article there seems to be something wrong with the Justice System of SVG or how that system is or is not tied to security in SVG. Something seems to NOT be working and maybe a link is missing or someone is not “minding the store”
You all court in saint Vincent is sure poppy show. How so much time that guy a escaping the jail. Where are the securities who are guarding the prisoners I believe the are there watching porns on their phone. You all are putting citizens living there at risk. Allowing all those criminals to go free. Fiddlesticks system.
A woman 29 year old female of Camden park has been jailed for one year for accessory to the crime of aiding and abetting the two escaped prisoners. She was alleged to have sex with one of the escaped prisoners’. Vincy men you have a precious thing that the ladies desire and you dont realized it. Vincy men it is time to leverage your gifts.
I served time with primus in rikers island nyc during 2010-2012, befriending him, gained his confidence and ultimately a confession in the murder of nixon, information I passed along to the authorities in the king’s county district attorney’s office but was ignored, allowing primus to beat local charges, be released and ultimately commit more heinous crimes in the us virgin island, including sex assaults and murder. I blame corrupt Asst district attorney ernest chen in Brooklyn NY for negligence and overall incompetence in this botched case.