53-Yr-Old Man Arrested: Murder Of Ida James
The Bermuda Police confirmed the identity of the 66-year-old lady who was found dead yesterday [Sept.2] as Ida James, and said a 53-year-old male from Pembroke has been arrested on suspicion of murdering Ms. James, and remains in police custody.
Ms James, a former social worker, was found dead at her home in Berry Hill Road in Paget yesterday.
The sister of Dr Clarence James, a former UBP Minister, she was well respected through the community for her dedication to social work.
On their website, the Bermuda National Association of Social Workers called her one of the “notable pioneers of the Bermuda social work system.”
A police spokesperson said, “The Bermuda Police Service can now confirm the identity of the sixty six year old female found murdered in her Berry Hill, Paget home yesterday as Ms. Ida James.
“A well-known and liked individual, Ms. James lived alone at her residence, and was found in an unresponsive state by a member of the public early yesterday morning.
“Detectives from the Bermuda Police Service Serious Crime Unit are continuing their investigation into the murder of sixty six year old Ms. Ida James.
“A fifty three year old male from Pembroke has been arrested on suspicion of murdering Ms. James, and remains in police custody.
“The officers continue to progress their investigation with the collection of evidence, and interviewing persons in the neighbourhood and other areas of the Island.
“We are still keen to speak with any member of the public that was in the Berry Hill Road area of Paget during the late night of Thursday 1st September, into the early hours of Friday 2nd September.
“Persons with information or anyone who believes they may be able to assist the enquiry team should contact Detective Inspector Jerome Laws on (441) 247-1265 or the confidential & independent Crime Stoppers hotline on 800-8477.”
I hope they caught the right man…Ms.James was a well loved individual who was always kind to people and very funny…she will be missed truely and never forgotten…We All Love You Ms.James From Your Down To Earth Family x0x0x0
Good work guys.
Hopefully they’ve got the right person… hats off the the BPS… If guilty I hope the sonofabitch rots in jail…
@realtalk Why does he have to rot in jail…he’s already a rotten SOB, he took her life and his shd be taken!
Oh, trust and believe I agree. But since the bleeding hearts have taken away hanging, him rotting in jail is the most that we can hope for unfortunately… Believe me, I’m all for a life for a life…
Life for life is not for punishment its for justice and peace in the society. If we believe in the next life then we’ll understand that no one can punish like G-D can punish. Sometimes, jail and even death is not a real punishment. Death is sometimes an easy way out. I say hang em and let G-D sort em out.
Well done police… now its up to the courts to put this man away for life…. what a horrible crime… my heart goes out to the family.
I am disgusted to know that Ms.James was found dead. May she rest in peace.
LIFE? Why should taxpayers support one who is convicted of murder? Reactivate the DEATH PENALTY.
AGREE…AGREE….AGREE…….I am not an orgainzer of Marches, but anyone starting one called “BERMUDIANS DEMAND REPEAL AGAINST CAPITAL PUNISHMENT MARCH” then I’m in. Don’t want to hear from the Amnesty , Britain, civil or human rights. Innocent people have been killed while these terrible people serve 15 years or less.
Just imagine, 15 YEARS, like that’s all the victim was worth Damn!!!!! Did somebody say the guy who killed Rhianna Moore and her baby (two murders, no less) is not even going to do all his time??
@ Emeka yes the guy who killed RHianna he got his time reduced,which is one of the most absurd things I have heard in my life when it comes to Bda’s laws. And also he had already served time for doing something like this before he met Rhianna our laws let him out of jail and then he murdered RHianna if our laws were tougher Rhianna would still be alive.
And I am sure the 53 yr old who they have just caught for this case is known to the police, people really do not feel safe with our current policing and laws,hopefully bda makes a change soon, as there our very violent and drug addicted people just walking our streets.And the police and crime stoppers and lawyers and Gov is walking around like everything is ok.
I agree…how can someone do 15, 20 years for MURDER?! Life should mean LIFE! If you murder someone, that person isn’t dead for 15 or 20 years…that person is dead FOREVER! So it is only right that the person who did it should be in prison FOREVER.
You don’t see crimes like this in places like Saudi Arabia, for example. The Gov’t out there doesn’t play. You murder someone in S.A. and you lose your life. While I don’t support some of their policies, when it comes to crime, I do. We have too many bleeding hearts out here. The death penalty should never have been done away with!
At least the alleged (we have to remember it’s only alleged at this point) suspect is up there in age. If convicted, he’ll be old-and hopefully too feeble to be a threat to society-when he gets out.
Hope that the courts put this low life away for ever! What a tragic end to one of the humblest citizens of Bermudian…she would have given you her all….take what you wanted …but to kill her…really?? My deepest sympathy to the entire family
Prisoners should not be eating three meals a day. A meal a day is enough. Please do this case properly so justice can be served. Don’t mess up, please. Ida was a great person.
Yeah-whatever happened to bread and water? It should be like that Arizona prison-no hot meals. Give them baloney sandwiches like that prison does, only morning, noon and night. That alone should be a deterrent. I bet a lot of people wouldn’t commit half these crimes if they knew they’d be getting gross food in prison. They eat better than most of us! I wish they’d get a Commissioner who’d get really tough with them. Cut out all these luxuries. It would be a deterrent and save a ton of money, too.
Hang him…
if you cannot find anyone to do it..I WILL and I will sleep good that night!
You will have to compete with me for that task. I will do it free of charge. Free of worry.
A really nice lady.My sympathy to her family.When will a life sentence really mean staying in jail for the rest of your life in bermuda?
My heart cries for my friend Ida and her family. She was a classmate during my days at Berkeley, a friend from home when we were both studying in Montreal (I at McGill University and she at Royal Victoria Hospital), and a continued friend all through the years we knew each other. I am so very sorry. I am horrified that this tragedy happened in Bermuda and to such a person as Ida. She was lovely,always so thoughtful and caring, unselfishly and devotedly spending her life trying to better the people of Bermuda.
My condolences to her family.
Carol
The police need to do some stop and searches of these guys you see walkin the roads all hours of the day. You know who they are…the ones strokin along South Shore and Harbor Road. They walk miles. Also yah boy on the pedal bike that hangs around White’s. Crackheads with no jobs who can easily slip into someone’s house and commit a murder when a break-in goes wrong. They act crazy but trust me they’re not. They know what they’re doin! R.I.P. Ida James.
@ truth is Killin me …. read what i posted above. I agree with your statement. There are way too many drug addicts just walking around bda. Some have between 150 – 250 dollar a day drug habits.
The police will tell you that they cannot arrest a person just for being a drug addict, I have heard of several people complaing to the police of trying to get drug addicts out of their homes and arrested by the police.
The police told one family that we cannot arrest him right now because he has not done anything yet. So these guys stay hidden and protected in home continuing their drug habits until one day they just go crazy and do something stupid and by that time it is too late.
This is something that needs to be looked at asap ,this REALLY REALLY needs to be Looked into in Bermuda ,
Why the police and laws dont look into this is beyond me, and then everyone is shocked when all this violence happens
the people who walk south shore and harbour rd in broad daylight are not our problem. lets not go on a witch hunt after every mentally disabled down on his luch man and woman on the streets. stick to the issues, there are people who have multiple arrest and the laws can not keep the people safe.
If this is the right guy, may he be tortured to death!…hanging is too quick, lethal injection is too calm!…a life sentence is too easy!
I bet he’s been in and out of West Gate too!…On and off and back on drugs.
My sincerest condolences goes out to the family of Ms. Ida James.
Smithy say’s if he is found guilty
take him in the bushes tie him to a
tree,make sure he cannot get away
pour honey all over him and leave.
Will the ants eat him or something else?
It saddens me to read that so many people are calling for capital punishment. They’re ready to hang someone on suspicion. And for what!? To save a couple of dollars.
People are commenting on the crime 5 boro, not the individual. Don’t be such an ass and think people want to hang people “on suspicion”. You’ve no clue what your talking about.
Irony is, if we did do that we would be like other countries that are blowing each other up and themselves….for what. Biyt thats another commercial…………..it’s reality.
I see we have a petition for a sex offender registry, we should have one for the death penalty! All agreed?
Aye!
Agreed!!!
Where I’m from (St.Lucia), hanging has just been put back in place and the crime rate has reduced remarkably. I think the same should be done here. It would be a good deterrent. West Gate is a bloody holiday for those criminals.
A wise man once said “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind”…the “eye for an eye” mentality is exactly what has created the society we live in. A society where people think that they can justify the most heinous acts! Some of the comments above are just horrifying, yet these people see themselves as “better” than some criminal cause they can “justify” their behavior by dehumanizing the person they would like to perpetrate this violence against – truly amazing how people think, it really is…and you wonder why we live in a violent community – WE ARE OUR COMMUNITY!!! Maybe we should all be looking in the mirror for answers…just sayin’!
@Cat…WE THE COMMUNITY DON’T HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE LEGISLATIONS…WE VOTE FOR HOPELESS POLITICIANS THAT PASS THINGS THAT HELP NO ONE!!!
WE THE PEOPLE ARE FRUSTRATED WITH CRIME….SLAPS ON THE WRIST ARE ONLY MAKING PEOPLE MORE ANGRY…IF YOU ARE AN ELECTED POLTICIAN, PLEASE PUT SOMETHING FORWARD IN THE HOUSE THAT WILL BENEFIT MAN KIND!!!!!!!!!
The death penalty was eliminated in Bermuda more for ‘social’ and ‘political’ reasons than anything else. If anyone thinks it’s because Britain forced us into it , I’ve got a bridge to sell you .
Now everyone (or a lot of people) are crying for it’s re-instatement. Are you all going to be happy with the results ..’statistically speaking’ ? ?
Remember , WHY WAS IT ABOLISHED, FROM A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE ?
At any rate , once someone has been convicted beyond a shadow of doubt , using technology we have today , and their past record , their death sentence may not deter another nutter from commiting murder , but the hanged won’t be coming back to do it again , or costing us wasted money .
mmm maybe death sentance instead of life sentance,,,you die in prison…this will may the humantarians quiet…the dead dont get to come back…
I agree…we has to stop this BS of electing people for no better reason than they are a part of this party or that party. I too am guilty of the same…but no more. We need to start electing TOUGH, smart, politicians that have morals! No more supporting idiots with no backbone for me. I will support the individual despite the party. If we all do the same…image the possibilities.
Finally some wisdom
@Cat Finally some wisdom.
@Cat ..Finally some wisdom
may keep the humantarians quiet
Notice the ‘humanitarians’ have nothing to say about the murdered victim. No words of comfort there. Their only concern is to stop the murderer from being treated ‘inhumanely’.
@ rick rock people get so angry and upset when these things happen because in a small place like BDA it could be prevented.We all feel for the murdered victim and her family, but we also know that this will happen again as there are too many drug addicts walking around and our laws are terrible (read my above posts)
I would just want to see people off the streets I do not really have a strong opinion on the death sentence . But If someone is in jail and cannot get out EVER that is good enough for me. The general public is safe and young children are safe from predators.
If the death sentence were used, we wouldn’t have murderers being released on parole. There are murderers now, walking around Bermuda, out on parole. Quite well-knpown ones.
And who are the parole board? The same people you complain about (above) who let out Selassie, a convicted rapist, years before his sentence was up. And what did he do while out on parole? Rape and murder a child.
I think we agree on one thing – the system could be much better. But, whenever you bring up this stuff, there’s always bleeding hearts (code word – ‘humanitarians’) who say we should have sympathy for the criminals, give them another chance, let them ‘turn their lives around’.
Makes most people sick, frankly.
I wonder how many Humanitarians would offer to take these butchers into their homes after they serve their time at West Gate?
she is the sister of the man, whose grandson was shot near Sayle road some years ago. undoubtedly they are linked. i guess the cockaroaches wanted to get someone else related to the gangster grandson they shot that time.
also…. bermudians need to take a stand against all these worthless animals who do such crimes. Kick them off the island or something. Chain them up in public and let us whip them. That would be fun. I would wipe that dumb smirk off their gangster-wannabe face after a good dozen lashes.
We need to punish these freaks so hard they dont dare do such crimes again.
If any moe breaks in my house i will carve him up like a halloween pumpkin before he can think , “Oh shoot what just happened”.
I will not sit there like a wimp while some worthless moe robs my house and terrifies my family. I will take self-defence and waste that vermin.
people like this do not deserve to live
Reinstate the death penalty please
but oh yeah…bermudas judges and lawyers are so good at letting all the criminals off….maybe its cuz theyre all related
what hope do we have on an island of injustice? where is the old bermuda?
what about the STOCKS up at st.georges. what about a good ol whippin? what about hanging?
we stopped those things ages ago and look at what has happened. they arent afraid of punishment anymore. just get to go up to $80,000 a year Westgate and enjoy sports and KFC chicken until they are let out and go hurt someone again
My Heart goes out to the family of Ms.James she was a loving and kind person