Petrelis Files

4 Charged in Brutal Death of Jamaican Gay/HIV Activist Steve Harvey

Last November, gay AIDS activist Steve Harvey was brutally murdered in Kingston, Jamaica, and institutions such as UNAIDS and Human Rights Watch deplored the killing and demanded a full investigation into Harvey's death. The New York Times also ran an editorial several weeks after the murder calling attention to the case and the larger problems of homophobia and police inaction in Jamaica.

In January I sent a letter to the U.S. ambassador in Jamaica demanding she speak out on the failure of the police to arrest anyone in Harvey's murder and the deaths of other gays in the country. I made phone calls to the Jamaica desk at the State Department to complain about U.S. silence on the murder of Harvey and other gays, but no public statement was issued.

Yesterday, the State Department issued the latest global human rights report and the section on Jamaica referenced Harvey's killing, the other deaths of gays and the rampant overall violence and murders.

Now comes news that four suspect have been arrested and charged in the Harvey case, according to two stories in Jamaican newspapers on Thursday. Read on:

Hardbeatnews

Four people, including a female teenager, are set to appear in court tomorrow to face charges of murder, robbery and illegal possession of firearm in the killing of gay AIDS counselor Lenford Harvey.

Police here yesterday charged the four - Duane Owens, 23; Andre West and Trishana Spence, 19 and the 16-year-old minor whose name has been withheld – with the Nov. 29, 2005 killing.

Harvey, 30, was found shot to death late last year in Kingston 20, about one mile from his home. He had reportedly worked for eight years as a counselor with the Jamaica AIDS Support and was apparently abducted from his home and shot dead. [...]

The Jamaica Observer

FOUR people were formally charged Monday in connection with the death of Jamaica Aids Support Unit employee Lenford Harvey, 30, of Duhaney Drive, Kingston 20.

Harvey, who was abducted from his home by gunmen was later found dead on Pinewood Terrace on Wednesday November 30. [...]

The CCN said that at about 1:30 am on November 30, Harvey was at home when a group of gunmen barged into the premises and took him away. His body with gunshot wounds was found about 6:00 am on Pinewood Terrace. The police were called and the body removed to the morgue for post mortem.

Following weeks of intensive investigations the four were charged. They are scheduled to appear in the Corporate Area Criminal Court tomorrow.

Needless to say, I have contacted the New York Times to ask that they write a follow up on the Harvey case and hope the paper will report on the arrests.