Thirteen years after Chakadan Daniel died in a police cell, pathologist Dr Stephen King says a head injury identified during the post-mortem examination was consistent with two possible scenarios: suicide or a killing staged to resemble suicide.
Speaking at a Royal Saint Lucia Police Force press conference on October 29, King disclosed that independent pathologist Dr Alfredo Walker had been formally engaged to review the case, which a coroner’s jury ruled an unlawful killing in 2015.
King, who performed the original post-mortem examination, said his initial opinion favoured suicide. However, his findings also allowed for the possibility that Daniel had been struck unconscious before being strangled.
Daniel, of Backstreet, Micoud, was found dead at the Micoud Police Station on October 23, 2013. According to the police account presented at the briefing, he had been detained in connection with allegations of escaping lawful custody and assault.
The renewed examination comes amid a legal challenge over the prolonged investigation and his mother’s continuing demands for answers.
On July 29, 2026, Justice Alvin Shiva Pariagsingh awarded Frances Daniel EC$75,000 in constitutional and vindicatory damages after finding that the State’s prolonged failure to complete an effective investigation breached her right to the protection of the law.
The court ordered the investigation completed within six months or, if that could not reasonably be achieved, a report detailing the outstanding work, reasons for the delay and anticipated completion timeframe.
Saint Lucia Daily Post previously reported that the State is appealing aspects of the judgment, including the damages award and the investigation order.
Explaining his findings, King said the post-mortem examination conducted at Victoria Hospital on October 25, 2013, established that Daniel died from neck compression that obstructed his airway and blood vessels.
He also identified bruising to the top and back of Daniel’s head, consistent with moderate blunt force trauma. The injury occurred close to the time of death and could have caused altered consciousness.
King said one possible explanation was self-inflicted hanging, with the head injury resulting from contact with the cell’s concrete ceiling or wall.
The alternative was a blow to the head causing unconsciousness, followed by strangulation and the staging of the scene to resemble suicide.
Although King favoured the first explanation, the coroner’s jury subsequently returned a verdict of unlawful killing.
King said the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions later sought additional forensic analysis of exhibits and samples.
In 2019, he sent his findings and opinion to Walker for peer review, describing him as a specialist he had consulted on difficult cases over the years.
He said the Police Commissioner informed him in 2025 that the force would undertake a comprehensive review, with Walker formally engaged as part of that process.
“I believe that in every death investigation, the truth must be relentlessly pursued,” King said, expressing support for the review and the decision to publicly address the case.
“It is my hope and prayer that Chakadan Daniel can rest in peace and his family can find closure as the truth is told, as difficult as that truth may be.”
