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On Jul 5, 2019

Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 25, 2019 (ZIZ News): 28 year old Akeem Alexis Chumney and 36 year old Craig Macather Halliday of Basseterre, St. Kitts have been sentenced to eighteen years in prison for failed assassination attempts on two men.

According to the Daily Herald newspaper in St. Maarten, both men attempted to shoot and kill two individuals who were sitting in a car outside an establishment called L’Esperance Hotel in Cay Hill, St. Maarten on Sunday November 18 2018.

According to reports, Chumney and Halliday were found guilty of the two attempted murders as well as possession of illegal firearms. Halliday was also convicted of possession of four false 500-euro bills that were found when he was arrested.

In the verdict, which was handed down on Thursday, the judge said that the suspects had tried to take two lives “in a crude manner” by firing shots from close range. Not only had they fired shots at the man they wanted to kill, but also at the driver of the vehicle. According to police, 8 shots had been fired at the vehicle.

The prosecutor argued that both men had been wearing clothing similar to the outfits worn by the two shooters seen on the hotel’s video-surveillance-camera images of the shooting which occurred at 4 pm.

According to the Daily Herald, video images of the shooting were shown to members of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force who, according to the police in St. Maarten, had stated that they recognised the two defendants as nationals of St. Kitts.

Investigations by Dutch Forensic Institute NFI also revealed that the weapon found in Chumney’s possession had been used in the shooting. Halliday’s weapon was also investigated, but there were no indications that it also had been used.

At the end of the June 12 hearing, the judge said there was sufficient evidence to hold both defendants as the shooters.