A violent assault case in St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Clare Valley has taken a fatal turn, with 72-year-old Jean Slater — one of two people injured in the May 5 attack — succumbing to her wounds. Prosecutors have now upgraded the charges against the accused, Keswert Slater, from attempted murder to murder in connection with the elderly woman’s death.
The 54-year-old suspect, a former delivery clerk, appeared this week at the Serious Offences Court before Chief Magistrate Colin John to face the new indictment. Court documents allege that Keswert Slater carried out the attack with premeditated malice, unlawfully causing Jean Slater’s death on September 25, 2026, nearly five months after he beat her with an unknown weapon during the initial May 5 assault.
Under local procedural rules for indictable offences, the accused was not required to enter a formal plea during this initial hearing, and he was denied bail. Chief Magistrate John noted that Jean Slater’s funeral has been scheduled for November 15, and subsequently adjourned the murder case to November 17 to allow for court proceedings to align with funeral arrangements.
This is not the only charge the defendant faces in connection with the May 5 incident. He is also accused of trespassing into the Clare Valley home of 44-year-old Nadia Slater — then acting director of the Agency for Public Information — with the explicit intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Court records further state that he unlawfully and intentionally assaulted Nadia Slater, striking her body with both his bare hands and a 25-pound gas cylinder, leaving her with serious injuries to her face and chest that required hospitalization.
Keswert Slater remains in official custody as the case progresses through the judicial system, with no update released on Nadia Slater’s current condition as of the latest court appearance.