Crime
Homicide No. 40 for the Turks & Caicos is a wake up call
Deandrea Hamilton and Wilkie Arthur
Editorial Team
Turks and Caicos, October 25, 2024 – Another Sunday murder was recorded on October 20 and the victim, a man was discovered in a dark blue car, reportedly with what appeared to be his leg hanging out of an opened door of the vehicle.
Images from the crime scene were heartbreaking, as a wife charges toward the car to see if the report of her husband being shot dead was true. Sadly, it was.
The 40th murder for the year in the islands seems to have taken place on Walter Cox Drive, where the body of the victim was found.
Royal TCI Police information said, we are “investigating the 40th homicide of the year, which occurred on Sunday, October 20, 2024.
Preliminary investigations reveal that the victim, identified as 43-year-old ESTON LUNDY, was seated in a vehicle along Walter Cox Drive, Kew Town when he was fatally shot.
Officers responded to the scene after receiving multiple calls reporting gunfire at approximately 2:23 p.m.
The brazen nature of this crime reflects an ongoing concern in the TCI regarding the illegal use of firearms,” the report issued on Monday October 21st said.
A day before, the chiefs of the National Security Council – Her Excellency Daleeni Daniel-Selveratnam and Hon Washington Missick – were
weighing in on the grim milestone. It’s the highest ever homicide rate for the TCI.
“This situation is unacceptable. We want to assure you that we are taking decisive action to secure our law enforcement response and build our capability to deal with the threats we face. In the last month, the RTCIPF has received additional specialist capability assigned to the serious crime team and tactical firearms unit. Our multi-agency law enforcement efforts have intensified in high-risk areas, with intelligence-led operations aimed at disrupting and dismantling criminal groups. The safety of our communities and all who visit is our top priority”, said the Governor and Premier.
But for many residents, the common refrain offered little solace and failed to inspire confidence about their grip on crime.
From one of the country’s spiritual leaders and regular writer, Chad Archbold there was this, “The murder rate in our beloved islands has catapulted us into a realm of violence once unimaginable. Each death feels like an open wound on the national consciousness, especially for a people so connected to community. In a population as small as ours, every murder hits twice as hard, resonating across families, churches, and communities. This year, Turks and Caicos is on track for a record-breaking number of murders. Gun violence, in particular, has become the tool of destruction, leaving behind broken homes, shattered lives, and deepening fear. The tragedy of the 40th death marks more than a statistic; it is a clarion call for change. As we reach this symbolic number, the spiritual and national implications cannot be ignored. Just as 40 in Scripture signals a moment of reckoning, so too must we recognize this moment as one that demands reflection, repentance, and revival.”
Police say “ELEVEN firearms and a large quantity of assorted ammunition for the year. The RT&CIPF is working closely with regional and international law enforcement agencies to stem the illegal flow of firearms and ammunition, as well as to identify the major perpetrators of these organized criminal network.”
All of the statements offered condolences and called for synergy.
“…we cannot do it alone, as the public’s assistance and support in the fight against crime is indispensable.”
To help, contact 911, the Serious Crime Unit at 231-1842, or Crime
Stoppers at 1-800-8477 to provide information anonymously.
You can also download the Crime Stoppers P3 app to provide information.
The Bahamas, May 29, 2026 – One of the biggest questions surrounding the Jonathan Gardiner case appears to have been answered.
Weeks after reports surfaced that the Bahamian businessman failed to appear for an expected court hearing in Orlando, newly disclosed
court records show the hearing never took place because Gardiner elected to have the matter heard in New York, where federal prosecutors are pursuing the case against him.
According to reporting by the Nassau Guardian, U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathan Hill ruled on May 19 that Gardiner was the person named in the federal arrest warrant and ordered that he be transferred to the Southern District of New York.
“…I find that Jonathan Eric Gardiner is the person named in the warrant for arrest…,” Hill wrote.
The judge noted that no preliminary hearing was conducted in Florida because Gardiner chose to have that hearing held in the district where the prosecution is pending.
That district is New York.
Hill ordered that Gardiner “be held to answer in the district court in which the prosecution is pending” and directed the U.S. Marshal’s Office to transport him to the Southern District of New York.
No date for a New York court appearance was disclosed in the order.
The development helps explain confusion that followed reports of a missed Orlando court date and marks the latest chapter in a case that has captured public attention in both The Bahamas and the United States.
Gardiner first came to the attention of U.S. authorities after surviving an Election Day plane crash off the Florida coast. Federal prosecutors
have accused him of participating in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy, allegations he is expected to contest in court.
The matter has attracted even greater scrutiny because federal court documents reference an unnamed “Politician 1”, fueling widespread public speculation about the identity of the individual and whether additional disclosures could emerge as the case progresses.
Meanwhile, a separate investigation has uncovered troubling findings about the aircraft involved in the crash.
According to reporting by The Tribune, investigators say the Panamanian-registered aircraft that ditched into waters off Florida on May 12 did not possess a valid certificate of airworthiness and should not have been operating at the time of the flight.
That revelation has added another layer of intrigue to an already extraordinary case involving a dramatic ocean rescue, a federal drug conspiracy prosecution, political speculation and now questions about how an allegedly unairworthy aircraft was carrying passengers between Bahamian islands.
For now, attention shifts to New York, where Gardiner’s next court appearance is expected to provide the first substantive hearing in a case many continue to watch closely.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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