By Latrishka Thomas
Ten months after the lifeless body of Piccadilly resident Jane Finch was found in her home, the woman accused of killing her has appeared in court.
Brittany Jno-Baptiste, the 22-year-old reportedly found at the scene when police entered and discovered Finch’s body with multiple stab wounds, was charged in connection with the tragic incident on Thursday.
Finch was found dead on October 4 last year, shortly after calling the Dockyard Police Station and posting a desperate plea for help on Facebook saying an intruder was in the process of breaking into her home.
It is said that when the police arrived on the scene, the attack had already occurred but Jno-Baptiste was still in the house.
The young woman was subsequently charged with burglarising Finch’s home but not for murder.
But the defendant’s committal hearing for burglary could not proceed since, according to psychiatrist Dr James King, she was suffering from a psychological disorder.
In the report which was disclosed to the court in January, the psychiatrist recommended that Jno-Baptiste receive six months of treatment, before being re-evaluated so that the way forward could be determined.
The most recent evaluation declared Jno-Baptiste to be fit to stand trial. She was therefore slapped with a murder charge and brought to the St John’s Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
Her committal hearing for Finch’s murder was set for September 21, the same day that her burglary case is scheduled to be sent up to the High Court should the magistrate determine that there is enough evidence against her.
Canadian-born Finch – who would have marked her 67th birthday today – had lived in Antigua for more than four decades. A celebration of her life is being held in Canada today.