PHILIPSBURG, St Maarten (CMC) - A 28-year-old Jamaican-born man has confessed to his involvement in the stabbing deaths of an American couple on the Caribbean island of St Maarten.

The suspect, identified by his initials MKJ, has also confessed to his involvement in a robbery of a restaurant last month.

He had previously denied any involvement in the killings last month of Michael and Thelma King, of South Carolina, at their oceanfront residence in the Dutch island nation.

Their bodies were discovered on September 21.

On Wednesday, General Solicitor in St Maarten, Taco Stein said the suspect appeared before a Judge who granted the prosecution's request for a pretrial detention of eight days.

Investigators are now working to confirm the details of the suspect's statements and are gathering additional evidence to present in court.

A second suspect in custody in the Kings' murders has been identified as a 17-year-old man.

Stein says the second suspect hasn't confessed to any involvement in the slayings and will appear in court Thursday for a pretrial detention hearing.