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On the front page of our local (Cincinnati) paper this morning and one of the lead stories on the TV news is about a local man, Blair Shannon, who was killed in his hotel room (near the STT airport) during a burglary Thursday night. Sad news, and rather unsettling, given the intrusive nature.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060121/NEWS01/601210434
He was a comedian who did the RC ships for many years, apparently fairly well known among the regulars. There was just a profile on him last month in our local paper as well. His wife passed away from leukemia several years ago; his 14 year old daughter is now an orphan. The idea of an armed person gaining entry to a hotel room with the intent of robbery, and obviously willing to kill someone to avoid a confrontation, bothers me. Not wanting to point any fingers at STT or the USVI, but at society in general. What is going on in people's minds?!?!?
I have a trip scheduled in June with a stay at a villa on STJ near Great Cruz Bay. We specifically got something within walking distance of the Westin (5-10 minutes?), so our college age kids who will be joining us will have the option of staying out later in Cruz Bay and taking a taxi back to the Westin, or going to a bar at the Westin, etc. I must admit that stories like this, and ones where people have discovered intruders at night in villas, have me concerned. I will be locking doors, and will probably avoid late night walks by the kids, trying to avoid putting anyone in a potentially vulnerable position. Things I would do to some degree anyway, but as unfortunate events continue to make the news, it drives home the idea you should always be careful. Almost makes me wonder if other islands where security personnel is standard might be a better alternative. The comfort/safety factor is one of the reason we have chosen the USVI as our caribbean destination of choice. Obviously there is more to it, but having visited some 20 caribbean islands on cruises, the only place I have booked land trips has been the USVI.
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I heard about this from someone in the government in the VI and there is more to the story. He as not alone in his room - there was a local woman in there with him (who was unharmed). The investigation has led the police to believe that this is a case of him being killed by someone who knew either him or his lover. Burglary has been ruled out. It is not believed to have been random.
Don't make the mistake of believing that every stateside resident who is hurt or killed in the islands is a case of random violence by some savage islander.
I won't elaborate on the specifics of this situation because it is sad for anyone to be harmed or killed and this gentleman's memory deserves respect. I just don't want people to mistake this story for something else.
I didn't read the article included in the link posted. If it says the motive was robbery, that contradicts what the officials have said and what the VI papers were reporting. No surprise....
The Virgin Islands Daily News tells the same story that was in the Cincinnati paper.
Very interesting to read that...seems like the stories are extremely varied....as usual...
Unfortunately, this will probably never be solved. Nothing is ever solved there.
The local article I mentioned did say he was with someone, gave her name, and said it was his "girlfriend and business manager", IIRC. No clue as to whether she was local or from ???.
While I obviously have no knowledge of what went on, it would seem to make more sense if there was something more to the story. And, I must admit, I would personally feel better about future visits if it was not random. As was mentioned, I mean no disrespect.
There was a very nice article aobut him in our local paper written a few weeks ago. He was making progress in his career, dealing with being a widowed parent with a job that required travel, and the support of family in the endeavor. He was quoted about how nice RC was about his schedule, allowing him to work it around his daughter's activities.
Whatever happened, I still have trouble with the idea that there are people who would pull a trigger with the intent of harming/killing someone, whether it is robbery, or to "get even", or whatever. And I would hope that the case is solved. If she was indeed a local connection, she should have some information, or potentially be implicated as well.
Any way you look at it, it's very sad.
