Police search for suspect who sexually assaulted, murdered teen girl

By Kimone Witter    

 

The police are still searching for a man believed to be of unsound mind who sexually assaulted and murdered a 14-year-old girl at the Palm Grove Court apartment on Spanish Town Road Thursday afternoon.

 

Price Johnson, a grade nine student at Haile Selassie High, would have turned 15 on February 21.

 

School administrators held an extended devotion on Friday morning to facilitate the grieving process for students and staff.

 

Principal Anniona Jones lamented the tragic circumstances under which the teenager died in what should have been a safe place. 

 

"Death is never easy, especially of a child. But when it happens under these kinds of circumstances it's particularly tragic and unimaginable. There is no young girl who should be at home, in the safety of her home, and to be brutally attacked, violated, murdered. 

 

"For persons to hear her scream for help, and to think it is OK to pull for their phone and to record for clicks and likes; it is evil, not just the act, but the response of persons who could have helped. We are grieving, but we are also angry. The children are hurting. The teachers are besides themselves with grief," the principal bemoaned. 

 

Member of Parliament for South West St. Andrew Dr. Angela Brown Burke has strongly condemned the brutal assault of the teenager and has called for swift justice.

 

Dr. Brown Burke said no family should have to endure such unimaginable pain, and no community should have to live in fear of such heinous acts.

 

She urged the police to conduct a thorough and expedited investigation to ensure that justice is served.

 

Dr. Brown Burke further reiterated the urgent need for stronger mental health interventions and community-based support to prevent such tragedies. 

 

"Too many lives have been lost. We must act now. I am also calling on the government to prioritise the stronger protections for our most vulnerable and to ensure that those who commit violent and gender based crimes face the full weight of the law. I urge every member in the community to come forward with any information that could assist the police in their investigation. We must play our part in ensuring justice for this young girl," she pleaded.