FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Long-Sought Suspect Indicted for
2006 Murder of Chanel Petro-Nixon
Case Unsolved for 10 Years
Overseas Extradition to be Requested for Defendant’s Return
Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson, together with New York City Police Commissioner William J. Bratton, today announced the unsealing of a murder indictment charging Veron Primus with the June 2006 murder of Brooklyn high school student Chanel Petro-Nixon. An extradition request will be submitted to the Caribbean country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where the defendant is currently detained on another matter.
District Attorney Thompson said, “Ten years ago a promising young woman’s life was tragically taken, leaving her family and the community searching for answers. My office remained steadfast in our search for justice and with this indictment, we will ensure that the defendant is brought back to Brooklyn and held accountable for the death of Chanel Petro-Nixon.”
Commissioner Bratton said, “This indictment is a testament to the fact that neither time nor distance will stop our investigators and prosecutors from the pursuit of justice. I applaud the commitment and tenacity of all who worked on this case and thank our law enforcement partners overseas for their cooperation”.
The District Attorney identified the defendant as Veron Primus, 29, formerly of 849 Lincoln Place in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He has been indicted on one count of second-degree murder and will be arraigned following his extradition from St. Vincent. He faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, Chanel Petro-Nixon, 16, was last seen alive on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 18, 2006 when she left her parents’ Bedford-Stuyvesant home to visit with a friend. Chanel stated that she would be meeting the defendant, Veron Primus, the investigation revealed. Chanel was reported missing on Monday, June 19, 2006 when she still had not returned home.
On June 22, 2006, the victim’s body was found in a trash bag on Kingston Avenue in Crown Heights. She had been strangled. A local resident discovered the body after Department of Sanitation workers declined to remove the bag because the trash was oversized, according to the investigation.
The defendant was deported to the Caribbean island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2015.
The District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau, working with the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, will seek extradition for the defendant’s return to Brooklyn. At present, the defendant is detained at a St. Vincent correctional facility.
The case is being investigated by New York City Police Department Detective Jason Palmiera of the NYPD’s Cold Case Unit. Over the years, the case has been investigated by numerous law enforcement personnel from the 81st Precinct, the 77th Precinct and the Cold Case Unit.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Rachel Singer, Chief of the District Attorney’s Forensic Science Unit, Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi, Chief of Trials at the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau and Melissa Carvajal, Deputy Bureau Chief, under the supervision of Kenneth Taub, Chief, and Mark Feldman, Senior Executive Assistant District Attorney for Crime Strategies and Investigations.
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An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.