Social justice advocate Alison Jean has expressed deep outrage and disbelief following a stunning disclosure by Police Commissioner Verne Garde on Thursday, revealing that critical evidence in two of the country’s most high-profile murder investigations has gone missing.
During a press conference, Commissioner Garde confirmed that the firearm believed to be used in the shooting death of Kimberly De Leon at her Morne Fortune home, and the noose tied in the alleged hanging of 22-year-old Chakkadan Daniel in a Micoud police station cell, are both unaccounted for.
The news has drawn fierce reaction from Jean, the mother of Botham Jean, a young Saint Lucian man fatally shot in his Dallas, Texas apartment in 2018 by an off-duty police officer. Since her son’s death, Jean has become an international voice for police accountability and judicial reform.
“Just reading this article makes me bewildered. I’m outraged at this turn of events because for so long we have been crying out for justice for Shakadan Daniel and Kimberly De Leon, and also Arnold Joseph,” Jean stold Saint Lucia Daily Post. “These are three outstanding cases that we need to get answers for, and to hear that there’s been tampering of evidence, especially two major pieces of evidence:; the gun and the noose, is deeply troubling.”
Jean did not mince words as she pointed to what she believes are possible deliberate actions to obstruct justice.
“This really points to insider interests and the prolonging of justice for the families of these individuals,” she added.
Daniel was found hanging in a police holding cell in October 2013, a case that sparked national outrage and repeated calls for accountability. Similarly, Kimberly De Leon’s unsolved murder shook the nation when she was shot in her bedroom while her two children were in the house.
Jean, speaking with the painful credibility of someone who has endured a long legal battle after her son’s murder, said she is “very outraged” and is calling for swift and transparent investigations into the mishandling of the evidence.
“For one who had to go through that judicial process in the case of my son, I am very outraged at the turn of events,” she stated. “I really look forward to the police getting deeper to ascertain the missing items and the people who are involved in tampering with these items and to make an example out of them.”
She also urged authorities not to forget about the case of Arnold Joseph, a teenager who was fatally shot by police on Chaussee Road in 2018.
“We really need to get to the bottom of this. That is really not what I would have liked to hear,” Jean said. “I have very high confidence in the commissioner, the current commissioner of police and her team, and I really look forward to them bringing resolution to these matters.”
Commissioner Garde acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and pledged a thorough internal investigation.
“The disappearance of any piece of evidence tends to make closure more difficult. However, it’s also an indicator of other interests or parties involved in this matter,” the commissioner said, adding, “I will not stand by and reside in an institution where exhibits go missing. We are going to look closer. We are going to press harder.”
