Bernel Louingston Neale leaving the courthouse in December 2021. (File photo)
PHILIPSBURG--Bernel Louingston Neale was sentenced to fourteen years in prison by the Court of First Instance on December 1, 2021. He was held responsible for the brutal murder of 49-year-old Methodist Agogic Center (MAC) art teacher Rhonda Thomas-Richmond. On Monday, it appeared that Neale had withdrawn the appeal against his conviction, which has now become irrevocable.
The Prosecutor’s Office had called for a prison sentence of 16 years, during the trial in this case, which took place November 10.
Neale, who was born in St. Kitts and Nevis, was arrested at his home in Middle Region on February 17, two days after the victim was found dead in her home on White Sands Road in Beacon Hill.
Her two daughters found their mother’s lifeless body in a pool of blood on a bedroom floor in her home. She was stabbed five times in her face and in her neck with a kitchen knife. One of the stabs slashed her carotid artery, which caused her death.
Traces of blood were found on the knob on the inside of the bedroom door. Investigations by Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) found many traces of the victim’s DNA on the doorknob and a relatively small quantity of Neale’s DNA. However, the suspect denied that he had anything to do with the woman’s death.
For three years, Neale and Richmond had been in a problematic relationship, which allegedly turned sour driven by jealousy. Witness statements, video-surveillance camera images and the suspect’s telephone records placed the defendant in the vicinity of the crime scene.
Neale was questioned by the police on several occasions. According to the court, he gave inconsistent statements, which he altered every time after being confronted with new evidence.
He did not provide any insight into the motive for his actions, and did not take any responsibility, the court said.
“On the contrary, the suspect sent two more WhatsApp messages to the victim the next morning, apparently to give the impression that nothing was wrong,” the judge said last year in the verdict.
The court established that both daughters of the “prominent and beloved art teacher” were entitled to damages, as they are suffering of major depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The judge awarded damages of NAf. 21,500 and NAf. 33,401, respectively.
Neale’s attorney Safira Ibrahim said on Monday, that she has withdrawn the appeal in the Joint Court of Justice on behalf of her client. “We have deliberated for a long time and several times my client and I, especially after the various pro-forma hearings in this case. It has been a difficult decision for my client,” the lawyer said.
Ibrahim pointed out that the withdrawal of the appeal did not automatically mean that Neale agreed with the decision of the judge in the Court of First Instance. “On the contrary, there has been a reason for lodging an appeal, which is still being upheld by my client. However, due to circumstances, the appeal has been withdrawn,” the lawyer said.
