ST JAMES, Jamaica — People’s National Party (PNP) caretaker for St James South, Nekeisha Burchell is expressing deep sorrow and outrage following the double murder of two young residents on Guinep Tree Lane in Montpellier, St James, on Wednesday night.

The deceased have been identified as 32-year-old teacher Vanessa Williams and 36-year-old taxi operator Matthew Chin.

“I am deeply heartbroken by the brutal killing of two young people on Guinep Tree Lane. I met Vanessa just three weeks ago in her community. She was a teacher at Knockalva Technical, only 32 years old, full of promise, passion, and purpose. She told me how hard she had been trying to secure a home through the NHT, despite being a dedicated public servant and contributor. She had earned her master’s degree and was preparing to pursue her PhD, yet she could not access a safe and stable place to live. That is a national failure,” said Burchell. “This was a young woman who embodied everything we say we value in Jamaica: education, service, decency. And yet, she was left vulnerable, and now her life has been cut short in the most senseless way. Her family is devastated. Her aunt, who I spoke with today, is beside herself with grief.”

She added: “Matthew Chin, the young man killed alongside her, was a taxi operator. While I did not know him personally, I understand he came from a family of service. His grandfather was a teacher at
Anchovy High School. This is a double tragedy for our community.”

Burchell extended condolences on behalf of the PNP to the grieving families of both victims and called for urgent and decisive action by law enforcement.

“We will fight for justice for your loved ones. This is not the first murder on this same street in
recent months. Another productive citizen, by all accounts, was gunned down here not long ago. I am calling on the police to act swiftly and bring these cowardly murderers to justice. We must take back our communities from violence. People who are doing the right things, building their lives and serving their country, deserve to feel safe in their own communities and homes,” she said.

Burchell also pushed back against the revived political messaging by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who recently repeated a campaign promise that Jamaicans should now be able to “sleep with their doors and windows open.”

“That promise feels like an insult to grieving families and terrified communities like Guinep Tree
Lane, where some residents have had to relocate out of fear. The truth is, people here still cannot sleep with their doors or windows open. They can hardly sleep at all. They live in fear, not freedom.
No statistics can change that reality. Safety is not a slogan, it is a lived experience, and too many Jamaicans are still unsafe in their own homes,” said Burchell.

She added that the murders are a painful reminder that beyond the headlines, real lives are being lost and families are being broken, and called for increased community policing and in addressing systemic failures like housing access for public servants.