Death Visited Philmore King at Residence in Hattieville

Philmore King

A Hattieville man was executed at his house in the village over the weekend. Before eight o’clock on Saturday morning, twenty-six-year-old Philmore King was shot to the back of his head by a person he was chatting with on the verandah of his house. But is his murder related to a recent drug bust in Corozal for which King and three others were charged. According to residents, a second person charged in the bust visited minutes before the fatal shooting. Police quickly cracked the case and forty-eight hours later, a nineteen-year old chef was taken to court and charged with the murder. News Five’s Duane Moody reports. 

Duane Moody, Reporting

Just before eleven a.m. today, nineteen-year-old Darnell Arnold, a part time chef and resident of Hattieville, was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Sharon Frazer for the weekend murder of Philmore King in that village. Twenty-six-year-old King was on the verandah to the second floor of his house talking to a man believed to be Arnold. Another person would arrive shortly after to borrow a phone charger and as he left the residence, a shot was fired, hitting King to the back of the head.

Tasheena King, Sister of Murder Victim

“He was sitting on the verandah with one of his friends, I do believe it is his friend because he doesn’t come out for anyone. And they were holding a conversation and in a split second, he took a look at the TV. That’s what I heard, he might have took a look at the TV and the same person that was sitting on the step gave him the shot in his head. Open a gate, open all dehn step, sit down hold a conversation and then…he gone sleep with that pan ih mind. He had to have that planned out and he just find the opportunity fi do weh he gone sleep with on ih mind.”

Tasheena King

Duane Moody

“…cause it happened early in the morning?”

Tasheena King

“Early in the morning. I got the call…when I checked my phone; I got like twenty-nine missed calls after seven. So that means it had to happen within that timeframe; like minutes to seven, before seven.”

The incident occurred just after seven a.m. on Saturday on Peter Lewis Street in Hattieville and police responded within minutes and discovered three expended shells in the yard, near the foot of the steps to the upper flat. By then, however, the gunman had already escaped from the area.

Wilfredo Ferrufino

Insp. Wilfredo Ferrufino, C.I.B., Eastern Division

“Sometime around seven-forty-five a.m., police responded to shots being fired at peter Lewis Street in Hattieville. Upon arrival, police discovered the body of Philmore King on the veranda of his residence suffering from apparent gunshot wounds to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.”

According to Tasheena King, her brother never complained of his life being threatened or having any beef with anyone. The family is left in disbelief that their loved one would have been executed at his home, as his younger sister slept in the living room of the house.

Philmore King

Tasheena King

“No, he never complained of having any problems. You can ask the whole village, he doesn’t have a problem with anyone; he is just a nice guy. He is just a nice and always wants to give us hugs, kisses; it’s just three of us. We were his world; me, my little sister and him. We spend most of our time together.”

Duane Moody

“Why would anybody want to take your brother’s life?”

Tasheena King

“That’s the question right there. Why? I don’t have the answer; only the person who did it has the answer.”

But is Philmore’s murder linked to a recent drug bust in Corozal for which he and three others were charged? On April sixth, he along with Blancaneaux Maudel, Michelle Benguche and Kenyon Lewis were charged with importation of drugs, drug trafficking and unlicensed ammunition after Corozal police intercepted two vehicles they were traveling in at the northern border. Almost sixty pounds of cannabis were stashed in two spare tires and twenty-eight rounds of point three-eighty Aguila rounds of ammunition were also found. While police could not confirm whether both incidents are related, it is known that shortly after the murder, Arnold was detained.

Philmore King

Insp. Wilfredo Ferrufino
“The investigation did unearth enough evidence for him to be charged with murder.”

Reporter

“Now, in this case, we know that Philmore King had recently, probably only six weeks earlier, been charged for trafficking marijuana at the border and obviously he was involved in that case. Might this be somehow related with that case where he was accused of trafficking marijuana?”

Insp. Wilfredo Ferrufino
“I don’t have any information in regards to what you are indicating.”

Reporter

“So it is a very deliberate act because it was a fenced yard, someone went all the way in, upstairs and killed him. Is there any indication that—it was an execution—but is there any indication why someone may have so sincerely or so eagerly wanted him dead, very dead?”

Insp. Wilfredo Ferrufino
“I don’t want to disclose the motive at this time.”

Duane Moody for News Five.