Editor:
It is with a mother’s heavy heart that I submit this letter to the Tradewinds. My baby, Jamie, was ruthlessly and senselessly murdered on June 19, 2007. We as a family know little regarding the investigation being conducted by the local and federal authorities. However, the police have assured us that they are investigating this matter and will have an arrest in the near future.
Although the murderer has not been captured, we know there are many good people in the community that do have information and we are pleading for them to contact the police. Any information will help the authorities and help us reach some closure.
Some questions that remain unanswered for us is where was Jamie on Thursday, June 7? We have been told that he was in an altercation in a Cruz Bay bar. There must be people who saw that fight and know who was involved? We know someone removed an iPod and iTrip from Jamie’s car. Who? We know a young man, reportedly, called 911 several times, while he was holding my son and watching him bleed to death. We also know this young man fled St. John.
We know that Jamie was stabbed in the thigh (femoral artery) in the back right rib cage, the front of his neck, in his abdomen and twice in the upper chest. Can anyone imagine how difficult it is for me, Jamie’s mother, to know that her son was butchered in the streets of Cruz Bay? I know your telephone calls to the police cannot bring Jamie back but they could bring closure for me and my family.
We know the people of St. John want this murder and others resolved. There has been an outpouring of support form the citizens of St. John and we know this has been a tragedy for them as well.
Jamie was a tourist and he was not living here. He was not a local. He was waiting for final working paper approval from the BVI Government. Ironically, those papers were Federal Expressed to our home the day he was murdered. One more day and he would have been safely on Virgin Gorda and working in the water sports department at Bitter End Yacht Club.
We know very little, but if anyone has any further information that may help us, please contact the police immediately.
Jean Gilligan Cockayne
