Two suspects in fatal Ebenezer stabbing held in custody, one transferred to Curaçao
Two suspects in the fatal August 5 stabbing in Ebenezer have been remanded for eight days. One has been transferred to Curaçao due to detention capacity shortages in Sint Maarten.
Examining judge remands both suspects in Ebenezer murder case
Two suspects in the fatal stabbing in Ebenezer on August 5, 2026, have been remanded in pre-trial detention for eight days by the examining judge, 721news Sint Maarten reports. The investigation into the killing remains ongoing.
Securing detention for both suspects required the coordinated use of all instruments available to the justice chain, against the backdrop of a continuing shortage of detention capacity in Sint Maarten.
The female suspect has been transferred to a facility in Curaçao under the mutual arrangement — known as the ORD — between Sint Maarten, Curaçao, Aruba and the Netherlands for the shared use of detention capacity. Authorities in Curaçao responded without delay, and the arrangement functioned as the four countries designed it to. The male suspect remains detained at the Pointe Blanche prison.
Where available capacity is insufficient to secure custody in a serious case, the Prosecutor's Office signals that need to the Ministry of Justice. Such a signal was given in this matter. The Director of Pointe Blanche Prison subsequently provided a list drawn up on the basis of sentence calculations for the detained population. The Minister of Justice then exercised her authority under Article 1:37 of the Criminal Code to grant early conditional release to the detainee identified by that calculation.
Under the law, early conditional release on grounds of capacity shortage applies to the convicted person who, relative to the total sentence imposed, is proportionally closest to the statutory conditional-release point — not necessarily the person whose regular release date falls soonest on the calendar. Any such early release remains a decision of the Minister of Justice and must be exercised with great restraint.
With both suspects secured in pre-trial detention, the investigation into the fatal Ebenezer stabbing continues without interruption.
Source: 721news Sint Maarten