Gabrel Tillett’s Family Say He Was Killed for His Cell Phone
Gabrel Tillett
The police have not yet issued any details into the murder of eighteen-year-old Gabrel Tillett. The youth’s mutilated body was found in the Lord Ridge Cemetery on Tuesday morning, after he disappeared Monday night. Missing was his pants and cell phone and while police try to solve this latest murder; Tillett’s family says he was killed for his cell phone. News Five’s Marion Ali went back to the family today and filed the following report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The family of Gabrel Tillett believes that he was murdered over his cell phone, which was missing along with his pants when his body was found inside the Lord’s Ridge Cemetery on Tuesday morning. Today, Tillett’s family told News Five that someone he knew had taken away his phone.
Voice of: Genay Stewart
Voice of: Genay Stewart, Sister of deceased
“He did say that the young man take away his phone from he. And I tell he, don’t worry about the phone, don’t worry about it.”
Marion Ali
When was that?
Voice of: Genay Stewart
“This was Monday night, Monday night, because he come home like after seven, and I said, I’m going to ask him weh the phone deh. And he said, they take the phone from he or whatever. So I tell ah, who take the phone? And he did give me the person’s name. I tell ah, you know what, nuh worry about the phone, just left it right deh. Stay home and relax yohself. Yoh done deh home already. Nuh goh back out deh.”
Gabrel’s sister, Genay Stewart, told us that he left the house when she went to the shop and his mom told us that from what they understand, his phone was taken away as collateral for weed.
Voice of: Mother of deceased
“The young man give ah some weed to sell, and then my son smoke out the weed, and never have the 30 to give ah. So he take away the phone from his son, as collateral. My daughter she ih she ih want ih phone. Soh my daughter tell ah nuh worry bout the phone. But she seh she gone da shop, and by time she come back from shop she call me and tell me ma Gabrel done deh way up the street the walk goh, seh ih gwein fi ih phone.”
Tillett walked up Antelope Street, but the family says they understand that he was lured into a vehicle.
Voice of: Mother
“Dehn ker ah eena wa car because another person – weh ah nuh di call nobody name – tell me dehn pass the same time and dehn see ah di get eena the car with the young man.”
Gabrel Tillett’s body was found the following morning in the nearby Lord Ridge Cemetery, with blunt force wounds to the head and cut wounds to his feet. The family dismisses other reports that Gabrel Tillett was involved in any gang-related activity or serious criminal offence. Today his mother explained why he was enrolled in the Mountain Pine Ridge Youth Program.
Voice of: Mother
“Da just wa lee neighborhood brawl weh gone on back ya soh. Dehn had a fight back ya with some young man and when they had the fight with the young man dehn, eena the process ah the fighting, wa young man mi get stabbed. And that da weh my son gone da boot camp fa and they had to release ah because they said that they have nothing against him and the time had expired and all charges were the dismissed against him. Soh my son is not known to no law, ih nuh have no criminal charges. An da person weh dehn show pahn da news deh soh da nuh my son eena da video none at all.”
Gabrel’s mom informed that had he not been remanded to the youth facility, he would have graduated last month from Gwen Liz High School. Kevin Cadle, the Director of the Department of Youth Services, told News Five today that Gabrel Tillett was a youth who had the potential to become a youth leader.
Kevin Cadle
Kevin Cadle, Director, Department of Youth Services
“We did the bio-psychosocial analysis on him, as well as we did an educational analysis to see where he was educationally. And he passed. He’s a very intelligent kid. We believe that his life was caught short like the others, like the other young man who was killed, Mr. Stamp, who was killed the day before. And so we recognize that he was a kid that could have actually become a leader in our community, just like I said about Mr. Stamp. These are kids who are just vulnerable. We have this Sprite tournament that he was a part of previously. And also he was very instrumental in a lot of the basketball tournaments that we had as well.”
Police have detained a few persons but are yet to lay charges against anyone for Tillett’s murder. Marion Ali for News Five.
