In an update about a double homicide, police have stated that the matter is under investigation. Lawmen said the circumstances are that at approximately 9:52 AM on Friday, 2nd August, officers received a report of a vehicle containing two deceased males with apparent gunshot wounds, located near the Newton Ground Bay, St. Kitts. In response, officers from Sandy Point Police Station and other units were dispatched to the scene.

A police communique states, “upon arrival, the responding officers found the bodies of two male individuals, identified as 30-year-old Devon Parris of Stoney Grove, Nevis, and 9-year-old J’Marni Smithen of Craddock Road, Nevis, lying face down with visible gunshot wounds to their heads inside a red Honda Fit motor car bearing registration number R 66.”

Preliminary investigations have revealed that both individuals departed from a family member’s residence at approximately 4:00 PM on Thursday, 1st August, with the intention of attending a birthday party at the Caribbean Cinema. However, they never arrived at their destination, and calls to Devon’s cell phone went unanswered. On the morning of 2nd August, a concerned citizen in the Newton Ground area, near the sea, noticed the vehicle in some bushes facing south and observed the lifeless bodies inside.

The District Medical Officer visited the scene and pronounced both individuals deceased at approximately 11:10 AM. The bodies were later stored pending autopsies. Anyone with information related to this case is asked to come forward and assist with the investigation or call the crime hotline at 707. These murders come as SKN is experiencing a surge in gun violence. SKN’s murder count is now 22 for the year.