Police in Antigua charged a person Saturday with homicide within the stabbing dying this week of a controversial member of parliament in his seaside house.
Police on the tiny Caribbean island charged 26-year-old Alexta Francis two days after the landscaper was arrested and questioned concerning the killing of Asot Michael. Francis was as a result of make his first look in court docket on Monday.
Authorities mentioned Francis didn’t but have authorized illustration and it wasn’t instantly clear the place he was being held Saturday.
In an announcement, Police Commissioner Atlee Rodney counseled investigators “for his or her diligence and professionalism in dealing with the matter.” He later informed The Related Press that the police had no plans to reveal the motive, however would as a substitute permit it to be revealed in court docket.
Michael, 54, was an impartial member of Parliament and a rich businessman who ascended by the ranks of the governing Antigua & Barbuda Labour Celebration to function a minister. Though he was well-known for being a philanthropist amongst his constituency, he was additionally barred from operating on the occasion’s ticket after numerous controversies, together with a world bribery scandal for which he has denied wrongdoing.
He efficiently ran as an impartial within the 2023 election to retain his seat in parliament.
Michael was discovered lifeless on Tuesday in his house on Antigua’s west coast when a housekeeper reported to work and found his physique with a number of stab wounds.
It was the primary time such against the law has been dedicated in opposition to a parliamentarian within the twin island state.
On Thursday, the federal government introduced it could search help from the London Metropolitan Police in investigating the high-profile killing. As a former British colony, the nation nonetheless has sturdy ties to Britain and prior to now has requested assist from London police in high-profile instances.
Whereas their help will not be required for Michael’s case, Rodney mentioned they plan to make the most of their experience in different unsolved instances.