(NowGrenada)Opposition Leader Dr Keith Mitchell has written to Prime Minister and Minister for National Security Dickon Mitchell recommending that Government seek support from international investigating bodies such as Scotland Yard and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to assist local police with investigations into the 4 homicides which occurred between January and June, and remain unsolved.
Josiah “Jonty” Robinson, found on a beach on 18 June 2023, is the case receiving the most attention. “I strongly recommend that the Government of Grenada seek assistance from experts in the international community, such as the US Federal Bureau of Investigations or the British Scotland Yard of the Metropolitan Police, to ensure an independent, transparent and thorough inquiry into this particular murder case as a matter of priority, guaranteeing no possibility of any lapses or cover-up,” Dr Mitchell told the Prime Minister in the letter dated 10 August 2023.
“As you will also know, this homicide has attracted widespread regional and international attention to Grenada. In a media posting, it has been reported that world-renowned film director and actor Tyler Perry stated, about the deceased, that “…he was a young, gifted singer who was murdered because he was gay…” Grenadians are concerned about these statements and their potentially damaging effects on our beautiful nation and reputation,” stated the letter.
Suggesting that as Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, he should update the nation on the progress of the investigation along with representatives from the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF), Dr Mitchell said that Grenadians at home and the world at large must see the efficiency and transparency of the process. “It has been almost 2 months without any discernible progress by the RGPF in this murder investigation. Meanwhile, concerns and suspicions are growing locally as 3 other homicides remain unsolved. The necessary support must be given to the Criminal Investigation Department to manage the task on their hand amidst the many different challenges and demands they face during this time of year,” declared Dr Mitchell, the immediate former Minister for National Security.
Shortly after discovering Robinson’s body, an autopsy reported that the young man died from accidental drowning. Another post mortem performed by Trinidadian forensic pathologist Professor Hubert Daisely, revealed that Robinson’s death was caused by manual strangulation.
Recently, Don Mckenzie, Acting Commissioner of Police said that Police have not discovered or identified a motive behind the murder of Robinson.
In a recent statement, the St Lucia-based Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality (ECADE) said Robinson’s death has caused distress among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in Grenada and across the eastern Caribbean, “emphasising underlying tensions in the region.
“More than a month after his death, there appears to be little progress on the case. The few updates that have been made available to the public have revealed little urgency in seeking a perpetrator or motive for his murder…Visible and robust action on this case to find and hold the murderer accountable would signal that every life matters, including LGBTQ+ lives,” ECADE said.
Tyler Perry, the prominent United States filmmaker and actor, as well as Yvette Noel, a US-based Grenadian-born adviser and publicist, have offered a reward of US$100,000 to anyone helping solve the 24-year-old’s murder.
