Michael, Thelma King’s families will attend trial

December 12, 2012 7:33 AM

PHILIPSBURG--Family members of Michael and Thelma King, who were found killed September 21 in their condominium at Ocean Club Resort, will attend the trial against three suspects in this murder case. The trial is scheduled to begin January 22, 2013.

 
In their first interview since the killings, the Kings' families told The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina, they plan to travel to St. Maarten to attend the trial.
 
 
The relatives said they are handling the tragedy as best as can be expected.
They declined to discuss specifics about the case before the trial "to protect the best interests of Michael and Thelma," and said they will not be granting further interviews until its completion.
 
"We will say, however, that up to this point, we have been very pleased with the progress of the investigation and how it is being conducted by the officials in St. Maarten," the families said in a joint statement.
 
"We are also pleased with the cooperation that they have received from our FBI. We have been involved and well-informed throughout the investigation, which has made it easier than we expected to deal with a foreign judicial system. We have also been present in St. Maarten on several occasions since their deaths and funeral," they said.
Prosecutors still believe robbery was the motive for the killing; Solicitor-General Taco Stein was quoted as saying in The Post and Courier, alluding to cell phones and other small items taken from the Kings' home.
In October, some media outlets reported that unidentified sources were indicating that the Kings were slain in a murder-for-hire plot. Stein said those reports are "ludicrous" and completely false.
 
Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos has said Thelma King (57) was found tied to a chair, and Michael King (53) was lying on the floor, partially over an overturned chair.
 
Monday would have been Thelma King's 58th birthday.
 
Police arrested the first suspect M.K.J. two days after the killings. The 28-year-old Jamaican worked as a security guard. He has also been implicated in the robbery of Happy Star Chinese restaurant.
 
Authorities reportedly found Michael King's credit cards and cell phone inside the getaway car used in that robbery.
M.K. J. confessed to his role in the killing, Stein and other authorities have said.
 
Also detained in connection with the killings are J.C.M. (17) and J.J.W., a 20-year-old Guyanese national, authorities said.
 
Like M.K.J., the other two are also said to be suspects in the Happy Star restaurant robbery as well.
Dealing with the tragedy has been challenging for the Kings' families, but they said they have been buoyed by support they have received from far and near.
 
"We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the countless number of people from all over the world, and especially the citizens of St. Maarten and South Carolina, who have continued to show an outpouring of support during this difficult time," the families' statement to the Charleston-based newspaper read.
 
"Hearing from so many of our friends and acquaintances, it is obvious that Michael and Thelma had a major impact on everyone they encountered and that their lives centred on their families, their friends and giving to others. It speaks volumes about who they were and how they lived their lives."
 
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