PHILIPSBURG:---- Solicitor General asked for a six (6) year jail sentence for former police officer R.M.P.Y. during the appeal hearing on Thursday, November 17, 2016. He is suspected of manslaughter and illegal firearm possession. He shot and killed H.K.I. on March 4, 2015 in Belvedere. The Solicitor-General said that it was legally and convincingly proven that Y. committed homicide and had illegal possession of an illegal firearm. However, the Solicitor General also took into consideration the fact that Y. as a former police officer is in an extra difficult position being locked up in prison and that he is being incarcerated in Aruba and has hardly any contact with relatives. The defense lawyer explained that Y. acted in self-defense and asked for her client to be acquitted of all . Y. was sentenced by the Court of First Instance of St. Maarten to 8 years imprisonment. The prosecutor’s Office had asked for a jail sentence of 12 years. The Joint Court of Justice will give its verdict on December 7, 2016.
Menam Hearing postponed.
The appeal hearing against the suspects O.A.C, R.D. and J.L. in the Menam case was postponed till February 2, 2017. The Joint Court of Justice is of the opinion that more time is needed than the hour and a half that was allotted for the appeal hearing on Thursday 17, 2016.
O.A.C, R.D. and J.L. are suspected of being involved in the armed robbery on August 25, 2015 at Oro Diamanté jewelry shop on Front Street. Police officer Gamali Benjamin was shot at that day while exercising his duties and died of the injuries he sustained. O.A.C. was acquitted of all charges while R.D. and J.L. were sentenced to 20 and 8 years in jail respectively by the Court of First Instance. The Prosecutor’s Office had asked for lifetime imprisonment for R.D and a prison sentence of 25 years for J.L. as the main suspects in the armed robbery.
The Solicitor General demanded on Thursday, November 17, 2016 a jail sentence of ten (10) years against S.M.J. That is equal to the punishment he received by the Court of First Instance on March 2, 2016. S.M.J. was sentenced for shooting a man in his chest during an armed robbery at a bus stop on Back Street on August 16, 2015. Based on the evidence presented, the Court in First Instance found it legally and convincingly proven that the defendant had committed attempted manslaughter. He was also found guilty of possession of an illegal firearm. The Joint Court of Justice will give its verdict in the appeal case on December 7, 2016.
Prosecutor's Office Bulletin.
