By Jermaine Chiverton

A solemn bell reverberated within the confines of her Majesty’s Prison, the bustling streets of Basseterre and the Federation of St. Kitts-Nevis as death row convict Charles Elroy Laplace was executed via hangman’s noose at around 8 a.m. on Friday, December 19th.

40-year-old Laplace was sentenced to death in February 2006 for the murder of his wife Diana Laplace in 2004. Diana was found stabbed to death at Fig Tree Sandy Point. A knife was said to be the weapon used to kill Diana.

Friday’s hanging was said to be the topic of the day, since many were unaware that Laplace would have been executed via the hangman’s noose a decisi on some quotas within the society believe is a strong move made by those in authority since the Federation’s murder rate has been escalated to 23 this year co mpared to 17 in 2007.

A government notice dated December 16, 2008 was posted outside of the door’s of the prison stating “Pursuant to the warrant under the Hand and Seal of His Excellency the Governor General of the Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis, dated the 15th day of December 2008, the sentence of death pronounced at the Circuit Court on the 28th day of February 2006 on Charles Elroy Laplace will be carried into execution within the walls of the Prison in the town of Basseterre in the island of St. Christopher on the Friday 19th December 2008 at 8 o’clock in the forenoon”.

The St Kitts-Nevis government has pledged to carry out the death penalty, as it battles a record murder rate.

Commenting on the execution in parliament on Friday Prime Minister Denzil Douglas stated that his Government took “no comfort” in carrying out the execution, while at the same time asserting that there had to be a “deterrent among our people in taking another mans life”

It was reported that eight people remain on death row at Her Majesty's prison and Prime Minister Douglas says no mercy would be shown to those who don't deserve it.

The family and friends of the Diana expressed comfort that her killer finally got the punishment he deserved. One of the many wishes from the family “she should have been here today”.

David Wilson of Ottley’s Village was the last person to be hanged in the Federation in 1998. He was convicted for the beating to death a security guard.

It is believed that the Federation will undoubtedly come under much scrutiny from institutions such Amnesty International. But the powers that be is if the view that the soaring crime rate has led many locals to demand the return of capital punishment as a deterrent, the logic being that fear of death deters people from committing crimes.

Meantime over in St. Vincent the death sentence was slapped on a man who beheaded a 21-year-old woman two years ago.

Shorn Samuel, 35, who hacked Stacy Wilson to death at a bus terminal in the capital on December 11, 2006 as others watched, had to be restrained by police officers as Justice Frederick Bruce Lyle pronounced the sentence this week.

The judge described Samuel's attack, which ended in him cutting off the woman's head and throwing it aside, as "a premeditated, barbaric and inhumane act".

He had been convicted for the crime in October this year, but the judge handed down the sentence after a psychiatric evaluation was delivered to the court and closing arguments were made by both the defence and prosecution.

Over in Jamaica Just under a month after parliamentarians voted to keep capital punishment on the law books, the Senate has given the green light to retain the death penalty.

With three of their colleagues absent, Senators voted 10 to seven in support of retaining the ultimate sentence, following in the footsteps of the House of Representatives which voted 34 to 15 in a conscience vote on November 25. At the time of that vote, 10 members were recorded absent.

Although the death penalty is still on the books, there has not been an execution in Jamaica since 1988. More than 40 prisoners are currently on death row in Jamaica.

Is this a new dawn in the region as countries seek to combat crime or a singular outburst at the end of what has been a troubling year especially for St. Kitts-Nevis?