PHILIPSBURG--A 41-year-old man on Thursday heard the Prosecutor call for a 12-year-prison sentence for fatally stabbing a Dominicano man 10 times during a fight on A.Th. Illidge Road, in the vicinity of A&A Supply just before noon on July 5.
The Prosecutor’s Office charged T.T.C.W. with manslaughter and dismissed claims he had acted in self-defence. The “extremely tragic incident” was the culmination of a long-running conflict between suspect and other residents in the apartment building where he lives, Prosecutor Maarten Noordzij said.
The victim started the fight and stabbed the defendant first. The suspect retaliated by chasing and stabbing the victim three times, – once on the steps of his apartment building, then near Robbie’s Lottery and finally in the alley at the end of A&A Supply’s lumberyard – the Prosecutor stated.
The victim received 10 stab wounds to his back and all over his body during the chase over a distance of approximately 80 metres, which took approximately two to three minutes.
At the end of the chase, the suspect kept stabbing the victim, holding him down to the ground while sitting on his back, the Prosecutor said. During the trial a video was shown in which bystanders are seen trying to relieve the victim, using bottles and sticks in trying to chase the suspect away.
The victim was transported to St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC), where he was operated on immediately, but his life could not be saved.
“The victim literally had to run for his life,” the Prosecutor said in dismissing statements that the suspect did not have the intention to kill. He called the attack “disproportionate, unnecessary and sparked by revenge,” and held the defendant fully accountable for taking a man’s life.
According to the Prosecutor, the man had constantly been picking on Dominicanos as he had a hard time dealing with the fact that they were deciding how things were being dealt with in the apartment building.
The suspect was also injured in the incident as he was stabbed to his neck. He was arrested after receiving treatment at SMMC and still remains in custody.
The pregnant wife of the suspect also became involved in the fight and was beaten by two other women. The two women were arrested and taken to the police station for further investigation.
They were, however, released after a few days and are no longer detained, much to the dismay of attorney Zylena Bary. She said the Court should declare the Prosecutor’s case against her client inadmissible as her client was prosecuted and these women were not, which, in her eyes, constituted a case of unequal treatment.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the fight took place against the backdrop of a long and troubled history between the defendant, who is a born St. Maartener and members of the Dominicano community on the island.
Together with his family, the man lives in an apartment building surrounded by members of the Spanish-speaking community. Apparently, he has a hard time dealing with their different opinions on the handling of garbage and laundry, for example, the Prosecutor said.
According to the defence, W. is a staunch defender of family values and is keeping very much to himself. He is wrongly portrayed in the Spanish-speaking community as a “Rambo” and a very aggressive person.
The lawyer pleaded for her client’s full acquittal and said he acted in self-defence. She pointed at the victim as the aggressor in this case and said her client had retaliated in fear. Her client’s life was at stake. He tried to prevent his assailant from reaching his car to grab a firearm, the lawyer said. W. said he acted in self-defence and had never had the intention to kill.
The suspect does not have a criminal record and is considered as a quiet and emotionally stable person, according to the Parole Board.
Bary called the Prosecutor’s demand “extreme” and “unfounded” and said there was no proof of murder or manslaughter. The Court will give its decision December 16.
