Grenada's Police Unable to Link Man’s Death to Sexual Orientation
ST.GEORGE’S, Grenada - Grenada police Wednesday said it had no information linking the death of a man here as being racist, homophobic and a senseless act of violence as being claimed on social media.
Josiah Jonty RobinsonAssistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Simon Douglas, who is in charge of the Community Relations Department, said that police are aware of the information circulating on social media regarding the death Josiah Jonty Robinson and a reward being offered for information leading to the conviction of the person responsible for his death.
“We wish to clear the air on a couple issues in this regard. We are not in a position to link the death of Mr. Robinson to the concept of him having being gay since we have no credible evidence to that effect.
“Relative to the offer of a reward, the police were contacted about this matter. However as far as we aware, it is an initiative of certain individuals in their private capacity. We assure the public that the police are still vigorously perusing this investigation and we welcome any lawful initiative which is likely to aid in solving it,” Douglas said, without indicating where or who were making the offer of a reward..
But media reports here Wednesday said that a prominent United States filmmaker and actor as well as a US-based Grenadian born adviser and publicist had offered a reward of US$100,000 to anyone helping solve the murder of Robinson, 24, a member of the LBGTQIA+ community here.
His body had been found on June 18 on the popular BBC beach in the Morne Rouge area, south of here.
Pathologist, Professor Hubert Daisley from Trinidad and Tobago, who was called in to offer assistance concluded that Robinson died from “manual strangulation” and the autopsy report said that the body had been thrown into the sea water.
The report also indicated that strangulation marks were found on Robinson’s neck, as well as congestion of the brain, lungs, and damage to the cervical bone. He was buried here on July 13.
According to the posting on social media, the murder brought back to mind the death of a person named “Mathew Shepard, and all the other victims of racist, homophobic, antisemitic, xenophobic, senseless violence”.
