St. Lucia PM cautious on restoring death penalty amid growing public calls

Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre says his government will have to think “very, very carefully” about any move to resume capital punishment in Saint Lucia, as public pressure grows following the killing of a young mother last week.

The debate intensified after the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old woman whose bullet-riddled body was discovered in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. Authorities say her estranged husband has since surrendered to police.

The case has sparked renewed calls for the return of hanging, with a petition reportedly gaining significant public support urging the government to actively consider reinstating executions.

Addressing the issue during a post-Cabinet news conference, Pierre acknowledged the emotional and political weight surrounding the matter, noting that many citizens have approached him demanding the return of capital punishment.

“That is a serious, serious issue in the country. Every day, someone tells me, bring back hanging every day,” Pierre said.

“It’s complex, it has become an international issue, and there are countries who suffer reprisals if they introduce again.”

St. Lucia’s last execution took place on October 17, 1995, when convicted murderer Joseph Solomon was hanged. Since then, the country has maintained a de facto moratorium on the death penalty, although three people currently remain on death row.

Pierre said the issue involves legal, ethical, religious, and international considerations, and stressed that his administration is not prepared to announce a position at this time.

“It’s a matter that we have to think of very, very carefully. I will not venture to give an opinion on it now,” he said, while also noting that the Roman Catholic Church opposes capital punishment.

“Many, many people in the country are asking for the return of hanging, of capital punishment,” Pierre added. “People are saying you can move from hanging to the lethal injection.”

The prime minister also reflected on broader concerns surrounding justice and wrongful convictions, referencing what he described as a longstanding legal principle that “it’s better a million men go free than one innocent man gets punished.”

“We come from a history where people were just accused of doing things that they never did. People were lynched for committing a crime,” he said.

Pierre defended the independence of the judiciary and said successive governments have invested heavily in strengthening the justice system, including funding infrastructure for the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.

He also pushed back against criticism of the police and their intelligence operations, arguing that law enforcement agencies have prevented even more violence through intelligence-led policing.

“If it wasn’t for intelligence, it would have been worse,” Pierre said, adding that much of the serious crime solved in St. Lucia involves some level of intelligence gathering.

The prime minister confirmed that CCTV surveillance systems are operating across the country and indicated that additional cameras would be installed, though he declined to disclose operational details for security reasons.

The renewed national debate comes as several Caribbean countries continue grappling with rising violent crime, public frustration over unsolved murders, and ongoing legal and human rights concerns surrounding the death penalty.