The death of Giovanni Ellis on Monday brought a sense of relief to his mother, Lerlene Williams. The distraught mother made it clear that she wanted her son to be killed after he allegedly raped and murdered a child.
Ellis, who also goes by the alias ‘Coolie Man’, was named as the person of interest in the murder of 9-year-old Kelsey Ferrigon on Friday. He was on the run until police uncovered his location in Sandy Bay, Clarendon, yesterday. According to police reports, Ellis challenged the police by pointing a gun at them and firing a shot. The alleged confrontation led to him being shot and killed by the police.
Following the incident, Williams told Nationwide News that she felt relieved upon hearing about her son’s demise. Williams, who had a close relationship with Kelsey, indicated that when she went to identify his body, she did not feel any ounce of sadness.
She expressed that while her lack of remorse surprised others, she could not shed a tear for her son after what he reportedly did. While some residents in the Job Lane community also felt relieved to learn Ellis was no longer a threat, others felt a complex wave of emotions. Some believed he should have faced the community and felt the weight of what he was accused of doing.
A male resident told the Jamaica Observer that the police should have brought Ellis back to the community to allow “everybody to have a piece of him”. The resident described Ellis’ death as “too easy” for someone so evil.
A woman who said Kelsey was her daughter’s best friend echoed that sentiment. “Honestly, I prefer that the police weren’t the ones who caught him,” she shared. “I’m glad he is gone, but not that way.”
On Friday, Kelsey was found dead and partially naked in a barrel at her home. Ellis had a criminal record of sexual assault. He reportedly raped a 12-year-old and assaulted another individual. Reports stated that he previously served a 3-year sentence for one of the offences. He was out on bail for the other offence when he allegedly killed Kelsey.
One resident expressed frustration with how the justice system handles such cases, saying that such offenders should be locked away.
At a community meeting on Monday, Senior Superintendent Hopton Nicholson noted a concerning rise in reports of sexual offences in the St Catherine North Division. He expressed that a disturbing factor in these cases is that the perpetrators are adult male relatives who should be protecting the victims.