Businessman Kevin Walker's body found in barrel, three women to be charged

The East Kingston police are expected to charge three women in connection to the death of businessman and Digicel worker Kevin Walker whose body was found in a barrel.

DNA examinations this week revealed that the body of a man that was found dumped in a barrel along Industrial Terrace in Kingston earlier this month is that of Walker, who went missing on February 2.

A large sum of cash was later withdrawn from his account.

Police have since arrested three women who they believe played key roles in Walker's demise.

"It is confirmed that the dead man is him (Walker) and so, yes, they will (women), will be charged," confirmed a senior police officer close to the investigation.

The women are among at least six people under police scrutiny for Walker's death.

One male suspect was also arrested, another one was shot dead by cops in a recent shootout, and one other remains on the run.

The alleged involvement of the women in Walker's murder is one of the rare glimpses into the roles of women in organised crime in Jamaica, which the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI), in a study launched two weeks ago, dubbed as mainly 'facilitators'.

CAPRI's study found that last year only 19 women were arrested for gang-related offences, less than four per cent of the total 488 female arrests.

Women also accounted for less than three percent of violent crimes in the period, it outlined, adding that the involvement of women in organised crimes are many times linked to their familial bonds and financial hardships in the island's toughest enclaves.

Still, police on the ground are bemoaning the power and intricate roles some women play in Jamaica's most serious crimes.

"You have some females who, no matter what the police do, you won't get anything out of them. Because they are not going to give up the lifestyles that they are used to," explained Deputy Superintendent Michelle Campbell, acting commanding officer for the Kingston East Police Division - the area which is investigating Walker's murder.

- Corey Robinson

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