12-year-old girl charged with murder

Moesha Primus, the 15-year-old student who was struck from this life by a single stab wound to her heart, is said to have been very fond of the 12-year-old girl who has been charged with her murder.

Moesha, a student of the Intermediate High School (IHS) at the time of her death, {{more}}was stabbed at Lowmans Leeward at around 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 18.

Reports are that Moesha became involved in an argument with her 12-year-old friend over a piece of clothing. The argument escalated and when the dust cleared, the older girl was dead.

Yesterday, the younger girl, who had been in police custody since last Thursday, appeared before the Family Court, where she was charged with murder. The minor, who was represented by Samantha Robertson, Israel Bruce and Mikhail Charles, was not required to plea to the indictable charge. The date for the preliminary inquiry has been set for September 11, 2015. She has been remanded in police custody.

Yesterday, speaking from her home at Lowmans Leeward, just yards away from where her daughter met her untimely end, Earla Spencer, Moesha’s mother, said that she knows that her daughter liked the girl who is alleged to have killed her.

“I know that my daughter and the girl were friends. One day, I came from work and I met my daughter here plaiting her hair. My daughter did like her with a passion. Sometimes I coming from work and my daughter would be all the way round there (where the 12-year-old lives) to follow she home,” said Spencer.

The distraught mother said that she was not aware that Moesha and the girl, who attends primary school, had a disagreement. She said that she later learnt that the dispute had arisen over a romper that Moesha’s grandmother had sent from the United States.

A romper is a one-piece garment, consisting of a blouse with an attached pair of shorts.

“I didn’t even know they have thing (disagreement), but my daughter had a romper that her grandmother send for her (from the USA) and I don’t like them (her daughters) to wear the short stuff in the road, so I told her that she could wear it home. She loved the romper. I had washed it and had it on the line and the girl (the12-year-old) came here and liked it.”

Eventually the romper went missing Spencer alleged.

“My daughter saw her (the 12-year-old girl) in [a] romper in a picture on Facebook and then when she meet her, she confront her and tell her she want the romper and the girl tell her haul she stinking mother dis ya…she (Moesha) don’t like people to cuss her mother.”

Spencer added also that someone saw the 12-year-old in the piece of clothing at a party and enquired of the young girl where she got the romper and was told that she had bought it in Kingstown.

Spencer said that the 12-year-old cursed her daughter a few times earlier on June 18, including once when Moesha was walking the neighbour’s baby.

“My daughter ignored her and came home and told the neighbour what had happened. That little girl leave her course, go home and I understand that she got a knife and when she coming around, she was making threats Spencer alleged.

Spencer said that she was told that the knife that killed her daughter had vinegar on it.

It is alleged that the 12-year-old journeyed to Moesha’s home and stood in the road in front the one-storey house, arguing with Moesha, who was standing downstairs in the garden, behind a wall.

“She come and the lady (a neighbour) said she had the knife and she was behaving pompous and she was cursing my daughter and my daughter keep telling she that she want she romper and she keep jumping in my daughter mother and Moesha say, ‘jump in my mother one more time and you go see’ and she do it and say ‘come and do something about it,’” explained Spencer, who revealed that Moesha went into the road, and that is when she got stabbed.

Spencer said that she was told that a boy, of about 13 to 14 years old was there with the 12-year-old girl at the time of the stabbing.

Moesha was taken to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) by a truck that was passing. She died minutes later at 6:30 p.m., while her mother stood over her.

Spencer said that after her child was stabbed, her other daughter came into the road and with the help of a neighbour, wrestled the knife from the stabber, who did not want to let go of it.

“My other daughter even get cut. The girl did not want to let go the knife. Even after they get the knife away from she, she stood there and watch everything, even when Moesha get put in the truck and then she bump off and going up the road and telling people she just stab Moesha. She even went home and change her clothes she did the stabbing in and comb her hair.

“You know what hurting me most of all?, asked Spencer, “the parent know about the child behaviour; complaints were made to the parent and she (the 12-year-old’s mother) never come to no parent. She never like sit the child down and deal with the problem; they not dealing with the problem. Is like is nothing going on. I am very upset about it because if they had dealt with the problem, my child would be alive now.”

Spencer stressed that she would like to see justice for her dead daughter, whom she described as a quiet child who was not rude to her.

“I would like to see justice and she get sentence and she pay the price for my child death, because if it was the opposite and my child do it, I would have satisfied and my child would have to pay the justice for it.

“She 12 years old, my daughter is only three years older than her. So, if she have the mind to walk with a knife and have the criminal mind to stab somebody and kill them with the knife, that mean she can pay the penalty. If she have the mind to do it, she can pay the price for it.”

Spencer said that except for the grandmother of the 12-year-old, the other family members have not shown her the courtesy of expressing their support.

“…That is why I want justice for my child and I have to get justice for my child.”

Spencer, who added that she learnt about what transpired while at work on Thursday, said that when she went to the hospital, her daughter was still alive, but could not speak. Spencer said that she was not able to share any last words with her child.

Moesha’s autopsy was done on Monday and Spencer said that it revealed that her daughter died of a punctured heart.

The 12-year-old girl who has been charged with Moesha’s murder recently wrote the CPEA exams. She is expected to begin her secondary education come September.

This is the second tragedy to befall the family of the dead girl. In 2012, 17-year-old Dominic ‘Damo’ Spencer, Moesha’s older brother, became the fifth person in that year to commit suicide in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Dominic, a fourth form student of the Intermediate High School (IHS) at the time of his death, took his life at his dwelling home in Redemption Sharpes. He was found hanging from the side of the dwelling house which he shared with other family members, including his mom Earla, stepfather David Primus and aunt Roseanne Peters.