72-Year-Old Woman Raped and Killed in Nassau; 25-Year-Old Suspect Held

Vernencha Butler, 72, was raped and murdered at a commercial complex on East Street early Saturday. A 25-year-old suspect is in custody, marking the 111th murder of 2024 in the Bahamas.

72-year-old raped and killed in Nassau; suspect arrested after family confrontation

Vernencha Butler, 72, was raped and killed by an intruder at a commercial complex on East Street and Ross Corner in Nassau early Saturday morning, wicnews.com reports. A 25-year-old male suspect has been taken into custody. The killing has been recorded as the Bahamas' 111th murder of 2024.

Superintendent Audley Peters said officers were alerted to the scene shortly after 3 a.m. On arrival, they encountered an altercation that had to be resolved before they could access the interior of the residence. Inside a bedroom, they found an elderly woman lying on the floor. Emergency Medical Services pronounced her dead at the scene.

Butler had spent Friday evening at a birthday dinner for her sister. Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said she was dropped home by her sister and other family members shortly before 11 p.m. Several hours later, her son and grandson arrived to find the front deadlock — normally left unlocked when the family is out — secured from inside.

"I noticed their mother was lying in the nude on the floor, appeared to be unresponsive," Fernander said, recounting what the son reported. "They also discovered a male who was also in the nude sitting on the bed." A physical altercation followed between the son, the grandson, and the suspect. Fernander said the grandson "was able to put a good beating on this alleged suspect."

Investigators have obtained CCTV footage showing the suspect apparently using drugs shortly before Butler returned home, according to Fernander.

Butler's nephew told reporters that his uncle and cousin had walked in on the assault and pulled the attacker off her. He described the loss as the family's fourth bereavement of the year: Butler's sister died in January, her father in February, and another sister just hours before the murder. The nephew added that he was unable to attend the Friday gathering and did not see his aunt for the last time.

Investigators continue to question the suspect, who remains in custody. The inquiry is ongoing.

Source: Eyewitness News Bahamas