Advertisement 87
Advertisement 323
Jurani Baptiste leaves High Court No. 1, in Kingstown on March 10, 2023 after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
Jurani Baptiste leaves High Court No. 1, in Kingstown on March 10, 2023 after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
Advertisement 219

Former teen ace cricketer Jurani Baptiste, 24, of Sandy Bay is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31 in connection with the death of retired nurse Pamela Williams, 59.

Williams was one of four people killed in a similar way over a few hours in  November 2016.

Baptiste pleaded guilty to manslaughter when he was arraigned on a murder charge this month in connection with the Nov. 14, 2016 death of Williams, at her Kingstown Park home.

Prosecutor Tameka McKenzie told High Court judge Justice Brian Cottle that the plea was acceptable to the Crown.

Baptiste, who has been in custody since the date of the offence, was arraigned this month, the court having received a psychiatric report that said he was fit to plea.

Advertisement 21

His lawyer, Kay Bacchus-Baptiste told the court that she did not think it necessary to do a social inquiry report but she would need at least two weeks to speak to Baptiste to be in a position to assist the court.

The judge adjourned the sentencing to March 31 and told the prosecutor that he hopes that by that time she would have sent in her sentencing submissions so that by then Bacchus-Baptiste would be able to respond.

“I don’t want you sending it in on the 30th,” the judge said.

Pamela Williams
Retired nurse Pamela Williams was stabbed and clobbered to death in her Kingstown Park home on Nov. 14, 2016 .

McKenzie said she hopes they can get to agreed fact by March 22, saying that if the prosecution does not have cooperation regarding agreed facts, it would be difficult to make the deadline.

Bacchus-Baptiste said the prosecution already has what the defence has put froward, which came from the deposition.

McKenzie, however, said that while the Crown has seen the case for the defence, the defence was yet to see the Crown’s.

Baptiste was remanded in custody until the sentencing.

Police have that Baptiste is their sole suspect in the death of four persons killed between 11 p.m. on Nov. 13 and 1:45 a.m. Nov. 14, 2016.

The victims are Nicolas Layne, 36, of Edinboro, who was clobbered and stabbed to death in Campden Park around 11 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2016; Avis Israel, a 75-year-old retired nurse and her 47-year-old son, Ronald Israel, were also beaten to death at their home in Dasent Cottage, and Williams, who died after being stabbed and a concrete brick dropped on her head inside a bedroom of her Kingstown Park house sometime after 1 a.m. Nov. 2016.

Villagers, including Williams’ sister and next-door neighbour, Florence Glynn, met Baptiste coming out of Williams’ house after the attack and he was injured as villagers attempted to restrain him.

Just one week before Williams’ death, the prosecutor at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court had suggested that Baptiste be sent for another psychiatric evaluation.

He was scheduled to meet with a psychiatrist on Nov. 9, 2016, but heavy rains associated with a trough system disrupted that plan.

What happened in the four days thereafter is not clear, but Baptiste came to the attention of the nation on the morning of Nov. 14, 2016, suspected of killing four persons in less than three hours the previous night.

3 replies on “Former ace cricketer suspected in 4 killings to be sentenced for manslaughter”

  1. St Vincent is a nation of death, far too many capital crimes in the land that , the sprit of the victims are hovering in the land and are crying out for justice. Justice mighty justice when will it be a fait accompli?

  2. How did he just randomly choose his victims? Such a sad situation. He [allegedly] murdered innocent people in cold blood for no apparent reason.

  3. Concerned citizen says:

    Mental illness is a plague and its victims cry out for help.. This is such a terrible situation. May God help us all.

Comments closed.