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After much diligent work, detectives in Hanover are reporting that they have made a breakthrough in a case of triple murder that has been under investigation since April of last year.

According to the detectives, Wednesday, May 27 marked a landmark in the cold case investigation. That day, the skeletal remains of three bodies were found in a shallow grave in Phoenix Town, Green Island in the parish. Detectives at the time processed the scene and collected samples for testing. It was later revealed that the three had died from gunshot wounds to the head.

As the sleuths continued to follow investigative leads, they were able to identify the three men: 25-year-old Duvane Anderson of Mount Caramel in Hanover, 28-year-old Sean Russell of Donalva district, Hanover and 26-year-old Chescott Douglas of Mount Pleasant district, also in Hanover. Investigators continued their probe, and later connected the three men to an incident of robbery in the parish on April 23, 2020. A search had been ongoing for three men who went missing after hoodlums reportedly lured them to Santoy in Hanover under the guise of selling motorcycles. It was reported that when they got to the area, they were ambushed and armed men fired gunshots at them.

After collaborating across divisional borders and with the Force’s Specialized Operations Branch, one suspect was arrested in an operation in Red Hills, St. Andrew on Wednesday, June 9. The man, 32-year-old Brian Jackson, otherwise called ‘Not Nice’ of Phoenix Town, Hanover, was identified as one of Hanover’s most wanted men and has been linked to the Hanover-based ‘Ants Nest Gang’.

Jackson was interviewed in the presence of his attorney on Monday, June 14, and subsequently charged with three counts of Murder, Robbery with Aggravation, Wounding with Intent and Illegal Possession of Firearm and Ammunition.

Superintendent Sharon Beeput, who heads the Hanover division, commended the investigators for their diligence. “The investigation morphed into many things throughout the duration. It began as a robbery and wounding with intent case, then there was an element of missing persons and finally a murder investigation. I commend the detectives for using all available tools, including forensic evidence to pull all the pieces together,” she said. 

Jackson will answer to the charges in the Hanover Parish Court. The date has not yet been finalised.