Police Commissioner Verne Garde says the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) will cooperate with any independent investigation into the systems meant to protect victims of domestic violence, as the family of murdered 24-year-old Joy St. Omer pushes for a Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her death.
The family has petitioned the Governor General to establish the inquiry, arguing that despite Joy seeking assistance from multiple institutions, following established procedures and having an active Protection Order against her estranged husband, those safeguards ultimately failed to prevent her killing.
St. Omer was shot and killed in her vehicle while on her way home to Au Tabor, Anse La Raye, on May 20, 2026. Her estranged husband, Primus Toussaint, later surrendered to authorities with his lawyer and was subsequently charged with murder.
The family has also called on the Prime Minister and Cabinet of Ministers to advise the Governor General to grant the inquiry. The Office of the Prime Minister has acknowledged receiving the request on Monday, August 17, saying it would be presented to Cabinet for consideration, after which an “appropriate response” would be provided to the family.
Police have confirmed that a Protection Order was in place in St. Omer’s favour when she was killed. According to police, Toussaint had previously been arrested following an alleged breach of the order and other alleged offences. He was charged on March 13 and appeared before the First District Court, where bail was denied. The matter subsequently went before the High Court, where bail was granted.
That development has become a central concern for St. Omer’s family, particularly amid claims that they were unable to obtain information about the conditions attached to Toussaint’s High Court bail. The family’s proposed inquiry would therefore extend beyond the events of May 20 to examine whether existing systems adequately connect police intervention, protection orders, prosecutions and bail decisions.
Police Commissioner Verne Garde has sought to clarify the respective roles of the police and prosecution when a bail application reaches the High Court. “The way it works at that level in summary matters, the police have a number of prosecutors who assist in prosecuting these matters. But when a case is elevated to the High Court, the matter is transferred to the Director of Public Prosecution,” Garde explained.
In May, police said investigators had been informed by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions that Toussaint had applied for bail in the High Court and that bail had been granted by April 22. At the time, police also indicated that they were “looking into” the circumstances surrounding the bail. Garde, however, maintained that questions about the granting of bail at the High Court level should be directed to the DPP.
