CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Aug 18, CMC – The St. Lucia government Tuesday said it will consider a request from the family of Joy St. Omer, the 24-year-old mother whose bullet-riddled body was found in the driver’s seat of a vehicle in May, for an independent Commission of Inquiry (COI) into her death.
Police said the main suspect, her estranged husband, has surrendered, confirming also that an active protection order had been in place against him at the time of the killing.
A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister said that Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre had confirmed receiving “correspondence” adding that the request was only received mid-morning on Monday.
“The matter will be presented to Cabinet for consideration, after which an appropriate response will be provided to the family. Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre affirms his Government’s commitment to protect all citizens, particularly women, children and vulnerable persons,” the statement noted.
Soon after she was killed, a petition which garnered more than 5,000 signatures called on the government to actively consider the enforcement of capital punishment,
“We, the citizens, residents, and diaspora of Saint Lucia, submit this formal petition out of a profound sense of urgency, grief, and duty to our country,” according to the petition page on the Change.org website.
“We do not make this request lightly. We make it out of love for Saint Lucia and a desire to see our communities thrive in peace once again. By signing this petition, we declare that enough is enough,” said the petition.
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