DPP to decide today on Shannon murder case

Gaspard, Newsday understands, gave certain instructions to the officers who are to return to his office today where a decision is expected to be made on how the investigation should proceed.

Newsday was told photgraphs, a flash drive containing video images taken from CCTV video footage and statements formed the nucleus of the case file submitted to DPP Gaspard. The DPP has been in constant communication with investigators since Banfield’s body was discovered last week Thursday in a storeroom on the third floor of the IAM & Co. Ltd store off Charlotte Street in Port-of-Spain.

She was last seen alive shopping at Pennywise and then IAM & Co two Mondays ago.

The main suspect, a 38-year-old labourer of St Helena, remained yesterday in police custody in a cell at the Central Police Station in Port-of-Spain following his re-arrest early Tuesday morning. The man was held after officers of the Port-of-Spain CID received information that he was in possession of a bunch of keys belonging to the Housing Development Corporation (HDC). The suspect, who last worked in the vicinity of the HDC housing estate in Princes Town, could not explain why he was in position of the HDC keys.

However up to late yesterday, the suspect had not been charged with any offence relating to the alleged larceny of the keys. Banfield, 20, went missing on Monday December 5 while shopping in the nation’s capital. Her body was discovered three days later stuffed on a shelf and hidden by cardboard boxes in the warehouse store. An autopsy on Sunday last revealed that Banfield had been smothered.

During her funeral at the San Juan Seventh-day Adventist Church, on Tuesday Pastor Leslie Moses announced that a foundation has been set up in Banfield’s name. “Shannon’s death will not be in vain,” Moses proclaimed. “Her impact in death is more than many of us will have in our whole lifetime.” The foundation will focus on promoting personal safety techniques, heighten awareness of violence against women and develop an educational fund battered women.