Three women charged in brutal slaying of Digicel employee

Three women have been charged with the brutal murder of Kevin Walker, the 42-year-old Digicel worker and businessman whose body was found in a barrel on Industrial Terrace in Kingston last month.

They are 30-year-old Anita Vanzie of Mark Lane in Kingston and 29-year-old Shaday Bennett and 36-year-old Joanna Williams, both from Oxford Street in the capital, a police statement said on Saturday.

The three have been charged with murder, conspiracy to murder, simple larceny, being a part of a criminal organisation, providing benefit to a criminal organisation, misprision of felony, accessory before the fact, accessory after the fact, and preventing the lawful burial of a corpse.

The police allege that on Saturday, February 1, Walker was lured to Oxford Street by Vanzie, where he was accosted by four men and taken to a premises.

He was allegedly robbed of his credit and debit cards, after which Vanzie and Bennett reportedly withdrew cash from a nearby ATM and returned to share the stolen money among their accomplices.

Walker was then beaten and stabbed multiple times in the upper body before his lifeless body was stuffed into a blue barrel and dumped into a gully on Industrial Terrace later that day, the police say.

A missing person report was filed for Walker on February 2, and an investigation was launched.

The police say the following day, on February 3, they responded to a report of a body found in a barrel on Industrial Terrace. The body was transported to the hospital, where Walker was officially pronounced dead.

Further investigations led to the arrest of the three women.

On February 5, the police say they conducted a targeted raid at a premises on Mark Lane where Anita Vanzie was found in possession of Walker’s credit card.

Days later, Bennett and Williams were apprehended on Oxford Street.

The police say the three were charged a question-and answer sessions in the presence of their attorneys.

Walker, who worked at the telecoms firm Digicel, operated a small car rental and loan company.

He was born and raised in the Allman Town community in central Kingston before leaving a year ago. Walker was also a former vice-president of the National Police Youth Club,

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.