Anushka Eversley Case Update: Constable Jivan Cooper charged with murder, robbery

Trinidad and Tobago: A municipal police constable Jivan Cooper has been officially charged with the brutal killing of 36-year-old Acting Corporal Anushka Eversley. The crime took place inside the San Fernando Municipal Police Station with investigators now describing it as a massive ‘internal security breach’.

The 28-year-old officer, from Claxton Bay, was formally charged on Tuesday night after consultations were held between Homicide region III investigators and Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard. Cooper is also facing charges of robbery with violence along with multiple firearms and ammunition offences linked to the same incident.

Anushka Eversley was found dead shortly after 4 40 am on Sunday at the King’s Wharf, Lady Hailes Avenue Station. A colleague of hers reportedly noticed blood leading from her living quarters following which he found the body lying motionless on a mattress.

While early reports suggested she had been shot, an autopsy has since revealed a far more violent killing. Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro confirmed that Eversley died from strangulation, compounded by blunt force and sharp force injuries. The Commissioner described the incident as deeply disturbing and slammed the gravity of a killing which was carried out within the confines of a police station.

The investigation quickly widened after officers discovered that a significant cache of firearms and ammunition had been removed from the station’s strong room. Authorities now believe more than 100 firearms and approximately 4,000 rounds of ammunition were taken.

So far, 43 firearms have been recovered, along with a close to 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Ten suspects, aged between 16 and 33 remain in custody. The motive behind the brutal killing and the robbery has not yet been revealed by the officials with investigations still continuing in what is being described as one of the most serious internal breaches in recent policing history.