R v Divon Trotman et Al

• Jurisdiction: Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Court: High Court (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
• Judge: Morley J
• Judgment Date: 15 December 2025
• Judgment citation (vLex): [2025] ECSC J1215-2
• Docket Number: CASE SKBHCR 2023/0041

Rex

and

Divon Trotman

Dijon Trotman

[2025] ECSC J1215-2

CASE SKBHCR 2023/0041

IN THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SUPREME COURT

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE

APPEARANCES

DPP Adlai Smith, Mr Leslie Roberts, Ms Kyrstal Sukra, and Ms Azuree Liburd for the Crown.

Mr Hesketh Benjamin for the defendant Divon Trotman.

Mr Craig Tuckett for the defendant Dijon Trotman.

SENTENCE

For coordinated attempted murder

by stabbing through skull and bludgeoning head with concrete block

Morley J

1 On 01.08.25, by written verdict 1, Divon Trotman aka Junie now 25 (dob 08.04.00) and his older brother Dijon Trotman aka Bull now 26 (dob 14.03.99) were convicted of wounding Keon Fyfield on 07.03.21 with intent to murder him, following a trial which was said the longest in St Kitts, beginning on 07.05.25, with the evidence and speeches closing on 18.07.25, taking

37 days of court time, having begun as a jury trial, and on its discharge on 24.06.25, continuing as judge-alone

2 On 18.11.25, DPP Smith for the Crown filed written submissions of 9-pages on sentence, there were none from the defence, and there was a sentencing hearing on 01.12.25, with adjournment to today 15.12.25 for remarks to be in writing.

3 The facts for sentence, are reflected at paras 3 and 48 of the verdict, were:

3 On 07.03.21 at 22.13hrs 2 at Parry's housing extension in Stapleton, Keon Fyfield aged 38 (dob 11.11.82) crashed his BMW car into the premises 3 of Andre Mitchell, who coincidentally is Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), a bullet 4 was recovered from the front passenger well of the BMW, Fyfield was found in a ditch constructed behind the house, nearby was a knife 5 with a broken tip, also a concrete block with blood all about its base 6, at hospital he was found to have the knife tip 7 embedded through his skull, he had 8 stab wounds to his head, and 2 blunt force splayed lacerations to his skull 8, and he died in hospital from a pulmonary embolism 17 days later on 25.03.21, having said to police at the hospital a passenger had pulled a gun on him in his car, that ‘they’ had got in, also gesturing he had received stab wounds.

48 [Trying the case judge-alone]…I am sure:

• a. Divon and Dijon were with Keon Fyfield around 8.30pm on 07.03.21, Divon being seen at the car;

• b. Divon and Dijon entered his car, Divon in the front, Dijon in the back;

• c. Divon pulled a gun on Fyfield at about 22.13hrs, leading to a struggle with the gun, leading to a round ejecting into the passenger footwell, and to the car crashing;

• d. Divon and Dijon received injuries in the crash and altercation which followed, requiring stitches later at the Mary Charles hospital;

• e. Divon stabbed Fyfield in the head with the knife (ex 7), while Dijon bludgeoned him with the concrete block ( ex 8), both acting together, following the attack in the car which caused the crash;

• f. Dijon took the block he had used to try unsuccessfully as a step to climb the high north wall, and then left his dna on the west wall, which was lower;

• g. At the same time as Dijon went to the west wall, Divon returned east to the car to recover the gun or bullet;

• h. Both lied to police about their injuries and whereabouts to hide their guilt;

• i. Divon refused a buccal sample to avoid being connected to the scene, knowing he had been bleeding; and

• j. Both destroyed their clothes to avoid being found with Fyfield's blood on them.

4 As to the injuries received by Keon Fyfield, as reflected in paras 20b and 20c of the verdict:

20 I am sure of the following…

20b. Fyfield was stabbed 11 times, being in the head 8 times, with the knife recovered from the scene (ex 7). The reason I am sure is I accept the evidence below.

• i. On 01.07.25 at trial, pathologist Dr Adrian Nunez offered his assessment from the autopsy on 29.03.21 (ex 28) of what injuries Fyfield had received on 07.03.21, and in support offered 17 post-mortem pictures (ex 29.1–17), where:

  • • Ex 29.1 showed 1 stab through the left side of face, which on admission had been through the cheek, the bandaging being visible in picture ex 21.2 taken on 07.03.21;

  • • Ex 29.2 showed 3 stab wounds, being 1 stab wound to the right side of upper front face, 1 stab wound as a superficial linear line on the right side of upper front face, and 1 stab wound as a superficial line across the right eyebrow and forehead;

  • • Ex 29.5 showed 1 stab wound along the back of the head;

  • • Ex 29.14 showed 3 stab wounds, being close together to the top of the skull, where one still had the tip (ex 16) of the knife ( ex 7) embedded through the skull;

  • • Plus there was another 7.5cm stab wound to the left arm which had not been photographed, but is in the autopsy report; while

  • • Ex 29.9 showed 2 cuts, one being clearly a defensive stab to the left wrist, and the other being a cut to the left fourth finger, which I surmise may have been a defensive stab wound, or a pinch wound from grappling a cranking handgun.

• ii. The knife (ex 7) was recovered under the left shoulder of Fyfield by Michelle Henry while being treated in the ditch, as shown in her locus video ( ex 19) and handed to ACP Mitchell, who put it on a near a/c unit, where it was photographed as ex 6.3.

• iii. The knife tip (ex 16) was recovered from Fyfield's skull during autopsy, and on examination by forensic officer Damian Challenger on 30.03.21 and by Cellmark forensic scientist Damien Singleton on 27.08.21, both said in their separate opinions, matched and fitted the knife blade at where the blade is broken, meaning I am sure the multiple stabbings were by the knife recovered under Fyfield.

• iv. Dr Nunez opined to break the blade and penetrate the skull required considerable force, in the context of 8 stabbings to the head, and so I am sure evincing a murderous determination to plunge the blade into the brain.

20c. Fyfield was bludgeoned in the head at least twice with the concrete block recovered from the scene, being ex 8. The reason I am sure is I accept the evidence below.

• i. Dr Nunez further described blunt force injuries to the head, causing splayed wounds of irregular shape created by the force of impact, where:

  • • Ex 29.4 showed brutal impact on the right back of head;

  • • Ex 29.7 showed brutal impact on the left top of head.

• ii. He opined the injuries were consistent with the use of the corners of the concrete block ( ex 8) as...