Barbadian national appears in court on murder charges

CASTRIES, St Lucia, Feb. 9, CMC – A 43 year old Barbadian man, charged with the murder of a 76 year old woman, made his second appearance in court here Wednesday.
Peter Thomas, who worked as a handyman for Ann Rose Raymond, was also charged for stealing her motor vehicle.
The Barbadian national, who resides at Union five miles to the north east of here, first appeared in court on a charge of theft on January 16 and returned on Wednesday for case management.
Police told reporters that Thomas was charged following the results of DNA tests.
“With the results back, we have now conclusive evidence to tie him to the murder,” Police Press Officer Ann Joseph said.
Raymond’s body was discovered by police at her Marisule, Gros Islet residence on Saturday, December 10, 2016 after they responded to a suspected burglary report from her family.
The police report that family members became suspicious after phone calls went unanswered and her gate was discovered locked.
Raymond who lived alone died from “asphyxia secondary to ligature strangulation”, she was also sexually assaulted.
According to police sources, Thomas drove Raymond’s vehicle to a gas station to fix a punctured tire and ended up abandoning the vehicle on the Castries Waterfront, near the government buildings.