(CMR) Three Jamaican policemen have been placed on interdiction after a man wanted for murder in St Lucia escaped custody days before an extradition hearing.
Orville Purnell (27) of Belgium Road, Buff Bay in Portland, escaped custody from the Central Police lock-up on Wednesday, December 1. He was expected to have an extradition hearing on December 6.
Purnell was arrested in Buff Bay, Portland, on Wednesday, July 14, by investigators from the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Fugitive Apprehension Team. He was arrested on a warrant for murder, illegal possession of firearm and ammunition, and escaping custody allegedly committed in St Lucia in August of 2020.
Purnell was reportedly in custody in St Lucia for the shooting death of 28-year-old Cleus Alfred, who was shot and killed on or about August 24, 2020, but he escaped in October 2020 and fled to Jamaica.
There are unconfirmed reports that Purnell may have paid police $3 million for them to let him escape. Prisoners were reportedly also rewarded for aiding in his efforts to escape.
“He never escaped, really. We believed that he just walked out of the station,” a senior police officer The Gleaner last Wednesday.
Purnell is of dark complexion, medium build, and approximately 180 centimeters (5 feet 11 inches) tall. He has several tattoos on both arms. At his escape, he sported dreadlocks; however, investigators believe he may cut his locks.
Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Orville Purnell is being asked to contact the Central Police at (876) 922-8860, Police 119 emergency number, or the nearest Police Station.
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