The 22-year-old Bimini resident whom police believe is responsible for the murder of two tourists on Bimini last weekend is expected to be arraigned for those murders today.
At the time of the brutal slayings, the suspect was out on bail after being charged in connection with a separate sexual offence, Assistant Commissioner of Police with responsibility for crime Reginald Ferguson said during a press conference at police headquarters Thursday.
Mr. Ferguson reported that police took the suspect into custody around noon Monday. He also disclosed that authorities recovered a 12-gauge Maverick shotgun believed to be the murder weapon and some of the victimsﾴ belongings.
Describing the investigation as “serious and difficult”, the assistant police commissioner said evidence thus far suggests that robbery was the motive for the murders.
“That is the nature of these kinds of complaints especially if you have a situation where culprits are smart enough to try and clean up after themselves,” Mr. Ferguson said.
He added, “It makes the investigation that much more difficult and you have to rely heavily on your forensics and scenes of crimes people to find clues and angles for exploitation in the investigations.”
Declining to comment specifically on what led police to the suspect, Mr. Ferguson said the Bimini resident is the only person police are holding in connection with the murder of Bernhard Bolzano and Barbara Frelln von Perfall at the Anchorage Bimini Blue Water Resort last Saturday.
The violent deaths of the young, affluent couple rocked the quiet Bimini community last Saturday and had police and tourism officials expressing concern that the incident could have grave implications for The Bahamas internationally, as the country is heavily dependent on tourism.
Noting the importance of the investigation into the murders, Mr. Ferguson said Thursday, “after you have a serious crime like this the next best thing you can do is to try to solve it and I think the quicker that is done the better.”
In other crime related news police reported Thursday that 34-year-old Kevin Roker is also expected to be arraigned on murder charges tomorrow.
The resident of Golden Gates #2 is believed to be responsible for the April 19, 2002 murder of Amanda Joseph. Ms. Josephﾴs bullet-riddled body was found in the vicinity of the Bahamas Electricity Corporationﾴs Blue Hill Road head office.
Roker was also arraigned in Grand Bahama Thursday for the November 29, 2003 murder of Jewel Mott.
Darrin Culmer, The Bahama Journal
