Family members of the missing boys are speaking out against murder accused Cordell Farrington’s guilty plea to a lesser charge of man-slaughter in a New Providence court on Thursday.
The family of Mackinson Colas, DeAngelo McKenzie, Junior Reme and Desmond Rolle said that in this case justice has not prevailed. They had also hoped to be able face Farrington in court.
Aunt of McKenzie, Shadanna Taylor says the plea bargain offered to the serial killer was a “slap in the face” to the families.
“For seven years we waited and we have been fighting. First for the remains and now he was offered a deal. If Farrington decided in his heart that he wanted to say something like I am sorry to the families, then we would have liked to be there to hear it.”
She added that the family was informed at the last minute of this decision and it was unfair.
‘If this is how they are making the deals, it is wrong and it sends a wrong message … any other person can say ‘I killed four persons,’ but I won’t be put to death because of it. They were kids and justice was not done, he will be able eat and live for the rest of his life in prison at the taxpayers’ expense.”
Colas’ mother, Claudette Mitchell, added that the matter is still difficult for her and her family to deal with and Farrington not being able to receive the death sentence is an insult.
Other family members of the victims shared similar views and are hoping to be able to travel to New Providence for the sentencing next week. They claimed that the Attorney General’s office had agreed to cover the expenses for one family member of each boys’ family to attend the sentencing.
Farrington is currently serving out a life sentence for the 2003 murder of his live-in friend Jamaal Robins.
Five young boys went missing in Grand Bahama over a four-month period and Robins, 22, seven years ago, before Farrington turned himself in to the police.
The 43-year-old was convicted and sentenced to death in New Providence in August 2006 for Robins’ murder.
Farrington appealed the sentencing and, in 2008, the Court of Appeal overturned the murder conviction and death sentence, replaced them with a lesser charge of manslaughter and sentenced him to life in prison instead.
In October of 2003, Farrington had confessed to the crime and led police to Robins’ remains, as well as that of the four boys who went missing, in a remote pine forest area off Barbary Beach in East Grand Bahama.
The boys’ remains were reportedly turned over to their families for burial nearly two years ago.
The boys had all attended government school, were bag packers at the grocery store, frequented the same game room and lived in close proximity to each other.
Grant, 12, the first Grand Bahama boy went missing on May 9, 2003, however, police maintained that his case was not connected to the other four boys who disappeared weeks later.
Grant’s case was handled separately. Four boys between the ages of 11 and 13 were charged with his disappearance in October 2003, but it was dropped and they were set free.
Police say Grant’s case is still open and his remains are yet to be found.
Eleven-year-old Colas, a sixth grade student at Lewis Yard Primary, went missing on May 16. McKenzie, 13, an eighth grader at Jack Hayward High vanished 11 days later and two months after that, 11-year-old Reme, a fifth grade student at Freeport Primary, went missing on July 29.
Rolle, a 14-year-old ninth grade student at St. Georges High, went missing in September 2003. He, too, was never seen again after he left his part-time job that fateful Sunday morning in September.
Genea Noel
The Freeport News
