Daughter of Winnipeg couple slain in Jamaica takes some solace after killer gets life sentences
CBC
The daughter of an elderly Winnipeg couple who was murdered in Jamaica in 2018 is grateful one of her parents' killers has been brought to justice but says the man's co-accused is still free.
"We recognize how fortunate we are that we have somebody who can pay for their crime because there are so many families whose hearts are aching because they have nobody, they have no clues," said Debbie Lee Olfert in an interview from St. Thomas, Jamaica, Thursday night.
"It's such a relief to know that this person isn't running around free."
Olfert's parents Melbourne Flake, 81, and Etta Flake, 70, were found dead in January 2018 with their hands and feet bound at their vacation home in St. Thomas.
The Jamaica Observer reported Thursday that a judge sentenced Fabian Skervin, one of the two people charged in the 2018 murder, to two concurrent life sentences in prison. He will serve 32 years and four months behind bars before being eligible for parole, the Observer reported.
Holding a photo of her parents in their youth together, Olfert detailed how they immigrated to Canada from Jamaica and made a life for themselves.
"This is how I need them to be remembered," she said.
She recalled how her parents came to Canada 56 years ago when overt racism was rampant against Black people. Her parents worked factory jobs and didn't let racism deter them from starting a new life in Winnipeg.
"They persevered. It wasn't easy. They bought a very humble house in Fort Richmond, and paid for it … they worked for everything, didn't ask for a dime from anyone. My dad was a very giving person."
Etta later became a nurse and Melbourne a carpenter. Their love story came to an end when they were murdered in 2018 in the vacation home Melbourne built. They left behind five children and 13 grandkids.
Olfert, who flew into Jamaica from Winnipeg earlier this month, said gruesome details about her parents' murder emerged in court. Olfert said the original conclusion from the police was that three killers had murdered her parents.
"They literally beat the pin number out of my father. It was a horrific beating which led to fractures in the skull."
The Jamaica Observer said Skervin — a farmer — and his girlfriend were charged with two counts of murder and robbery. The Jamaica Gleaner reported that Skervin worked with the couple as a handyman.
Olfert said while Skervin confessed to the killings, his co-accused is still free.
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