The 20-year-old woman charged with the murder of Five Islands Primary School student Chantel Crump is due to make her first court appearance today.
Angela Mejia, will appear before a magistrate, who is expected to remand her to His Majesty’s Prison until the commencement of her committal hearing.
The charge Mejia faces is indictable. Therefore, the case must be tried in the High Court.
The Hispanic woman was charged for the heinous crime on Saturday evening, hours after Acting Commissioner of Police Everton Jeffers, assured angry protestors a few yards away from the entrance of Police Headquarters that the person was in custody and will be charged.
Chantel Crump, a 9-year-old resident of Grays Farm, was kidnapped on Wednesday, mere minutes away from her home, allegedly by Angela Mejia in a silver Honda Car. The child, according to police, was walking home with two students at the end of the school day, when the vehicle pulled up and Crump entered, waving to her friends as it moved off. The child’s mother, Marsha Crump, was then notified and a report was made to the Grays Farm Police Station. A massive search was subsequently launched, which included the police and defence forces and public-spirited citizens, determined to safely return Chantel home.
On Thursday, two people were taken into custody and a car, suspected to be the one that Chantel Crump entered was impounded as the authorities raced against time. On Friday evening, the hopes of thousands of Antiguans and Barbudans at home and abroad were dashed, when it was revealed that Angela Mejia led investigators to Weatherills, where Chantel Crump’s body was discovered. While police have not confirmed the state in which she was discovered, unconfirmed reports are that the child likely suffered a gruesome death.
Little is known about the accused murderer Angela Mejia. However, there are reports she was once a student of the Harrison Centre Antigua and Barbuda Institute of Continuing Education but was expelled for reasons unknown.
A pall of grief now hangs over the country, with angry residents demanding that justice be swift. However, Acting Commissioner of Police, Everton Jeffers, while addressing protestors on Saturday cautioned that there must be due process.
“The court must run its course. It’s not up to me now. We are going to make the arrest and from the arrest, then the court will take it from there,” Jeffers stated. “So, I hope that that would have eased your fears…she is 9-years-old of course it is tough, but listen, we are going to make it through this”.
Acting Commissioner Jeffers thanked members of the general public for the role they played in assisting the police in their investigation.
“Some of you standing there, you supported the police and the police want to thank you for your support. It is because of some of you standing there why we were able to crack this and so with your continued support, we will make further inroads in what is happening here in Antigua and Barbuda.”
The acting top cop has pleaded for the public’s continued support as all sides work toward the reduction of crime.
