PHILIPSBURG--The two suspects in the “Oro Diamante investigation” head to court at 3:00pm today, Wednesday, for a pro-forma/pre-trial hearing.
The suspects will hear the prosecution’s charges against them. The ballistic report has been completed and the prosecutor will give the results in the hearing.
Suspect R.D. (23), a local rapper who goes by the name of Kilo Gotti, was arrested after shooting the late Bike Patrol Officer Gamali Benjamin in his attempt to escape while trying to rob jewellery store Oro Diamante on Wednesday, August 5. Police shot him in the stomach and knee before arresting him near the old fire station on Cannegieter Street and he is still recovering from the bullet wounds.
The second suspect, J.L. (18), was captured in St. Peters on Monday, August 10, after a five-day manhunt by police.
Benjamin was the first St. Maarten police officer to die on duty and was laid to rest on August 13. The beloved Bike Patrol officer was known to handle difficult situations with care and respect while on duty. Hundreds attended his funeral and co-workers mourned his sudden passing heavily.
Investigators will have to piece together what really happened on that August 5 morning. Countless witnesses were heard during the investigation and video footage has been confiscated in the case.
Rumours circulated within the Police Force and community that bullets found in Benjamin’s body came from a service weapon of one of the Bike Patrol officers on the scene. This supposedly occurred during the shootout between the robber and police, but the prosecutor did not confirm this and insisted on waiting to reveal the ballistic report results during the pro-forma hearing today.
