PHILIPSBURG--Security was at a maximum in and outside the Courthouse on Wednesday when seven suspects in the so-called Vesuvius case were led before a Judge in the Court of First Instance.
Crush barriers formed an effective cordon around the Courthouse, guarded from all sides by police officers during the six-hour hearing of the suspects, who are held as very dangerous criminals.
The large-scale Vesuvius investigations involve the killing of four persons, while several others had been shot at. During the investigations, which are still ongoing, the police confiscated 17 automatic firearms, 600 shells, bulletproof vests, wigs, masks, pressure guns and silencers.
According to the Prosecutor's Office the violence emerged in what could be considered a "gang war" that started after Amador Jones was shot and killed near Under the Sun snack bar on Gladiola Road on April 16, 2011.
Prosecutor Gonda van der Wulp, who presented the Prosecutor's Office's cases against the seven suspects with her colleague Bart den Hartigh, said Jones had been killed in retaliation after he stole 10 kilos of cocaine from Cappuccino Bar owner Miguel Arrindell.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, violence erupted afterwards, led by Jones' 34-year-old brother O., who is among the seven suspects on trial.
Four days after Amador Jones was killed, Kennedy Fergus was shot and hit in his leg with an automatic firearm on A.Th. Illidge Road near the former Tan Tan supermarket. He allegedly was shot at by O., whose real target allegedly was Amador Jones' killer named Max. This man managed to escape because he wore a bullet-proof vest and because O.'s weapon malfunctioned.
Miguel Arrindell was "brutally liquidated" on May 25, 2011, while he was walking his dog in an open area along Waterfront Road. He was killed by four gunshots one day before his trial in the so-called Snowflake investigation into the narcotics trade.
Next on the death list was Arrindell's brother Rodolfo, who was shot dead on July 7, 2011, on Fort Willem Road after a baseball game.
The next to lose their lives in this spree of violence were Eric Lake and Kevin Gumbs, both of whom were shot and killed in broad daylight near Cat's Shopping Centre on A.Th. Illidge Road on August 17, 2011.
After large-scale police investigations, which were hindered by the fact that witnesses were afraid to give statements out of fear for their lives, the police managed to arrest A.O.W. J., E.D.W. L. (29), C.E.F. (36), A.S.D. (30), E.S.C.M. (34), C.A.R. (29), and D.D.T. (25).
According to the Prosecutor's Office, these suspects not only were suspected of murder and attempted murder, but also allegedly were members of a criminal organisation involved with murder, drugs, firearms and car theft.
Van der Wulp said the Prosecutor's Office would request the extradition of B.C., who currently is detained in Guadeloupe in connection with another murder. He is considered to be the organiser of the Amador Jones murder. The suspected killer is held in St. Kitts. His extradition to St. Maarten has been requested already.
Prosecutor Den Hartigh requested that the judge postpone the trial until June 6, because investigations are still ongoing. Several anonymous witnesses are still to be heard and technical data such as telephone taps need to be analysed. Ballistic and DNA investigations by the Dutch Forensic Institute NFI have not yet been finalised. According to Den Hartigh, the case files will be completed by mid-May.
All but one of the lawyers objected to the indictments presented against their clients. They requested that the judge throw out their clients' cases and lift their pre-trial detention.
Judge Keppels turned down these requests and ordered the suspects to remain behind lock and key because of the serious allegations levelled against them.
The trial was postponed as requested until June 6 for a so-called pro-forma hearing during which the possible hearing of witnesses will be discussed. The actual court hearing will be held at a later date, possibly in August.
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