Nagra Plunkett, Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
THREE RESIDENTS of Flankers, St. James, who are charged in connection with the death of American tourist Steven Edward King, were remanded in custody when they appeared in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.
The trio are Caseini Natasha Timberlake, 24, her common-law husband, Dennis Morris, 30, and Damion Miller, 18, all of Church Hill in Flankers.
Senior RM Winsome Henry set the next mention date for the case for July 5. She also ordered that the suspects be fingerprinted.
While there were no family members of Mr. King present in court, Robert Garth, United States Embassy consular agent based in Montego Bay, listened in on the matter.
ACCUSED IDENTIFIED
The investigating officer informed the court that the accused woman, about four months pregnant, was identified as the person seen with the deceased man on several occasions. Timberlake was also recognised as being seen with Morris at several locations where Mr. King's credit cards were used.
The court was told that Morris and Miller, who is Timberlake's cousin, separately took the police to the Home Hill area in Ironshore, St. James, where they reportedly said Mr. King was killed and his body burnt. The police recovered a knife which they suspect is the murder weapon.
Both men are alleged to have described their roles in the American man's death during caution statements to the police.
Mr. King, who resided in Daytona Beach, Florida, arrived in Jamaica on May 13 and was met by Timberlake, after which they checked into a Montego Bay hotel. He then left the hotel with the accused woman in a rented Mitsubishi Lancer motor car.
REPORTED MISSING
She returned to the hotel alone the next day and checked out. Mr. King was reported missing to local police by relatives when he did not return home on May 16 as scheduled. His body was found days later in a shallow grave in the Ironshore area.
The family was able to access his computer and trace correspondence to a woman in Jamaica through his email account. Investigators eventually tracked down Timberlake and she was picked up with Morris in St. Mary.
