A strong mitigating plea by lawyer Joshua Francis, coupled with his guilty plea and open court apology and remorse for his action, has landed murder convict Steve Emmanuel Paul Olive a 17-year jail sentence ( effective May 22, 2025 the date of his guilty plea) for the 2017 murder of 31-year-old Valda Rosa Laville in Loubiere. Olive has already served 8 years of that sentence.
BRIEF FACTS
The deceased, Valda Rosa Laville, aged 31, was a resident of Marigot. She was in a visiting relationship with her boyfriend, Mc Bill Olive, and would regularly visit and spend time with him at his residence in Lahaut, Loubiere. The couple had two children together: a one-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter. They resided in the former home of McBill Olive’s grandmother, a two-story structure.
The accused, Steve Emmanuel Paul Olive, is the brother of Mc Bill Olive. He formerly lived on the lower floor of the grandmother’s house but moved out in or around 2011 and thereafter resided in the Kalinago Territory. Despite relocating, Steve would occasionally return to the family home during festive periods such as Carnival, the Creole Festival, and Christmas.
On 30th December 2016, Steve returned to Loubiere and stayed on the lower floor of the grandmother’s house. On the evening of January 4, 2017, Valda was in her bedroom while McBill was playing with their children. Steve entered the bedroom briefly and then left the house. Valda was heard making noise. She spoke with McBill, who then went downstairs to confront Steve, but did not find him. While Mc Bill was downstairs, he heard Valda shout, “Doh touch me, what is your problem?” He returned upstairs and saw Valda standing near the window in the living room, with Steve standing in front of her, touching her shoulder. Valda pushed him away, and McBill confronted Steve, saying:
“Steve, that is not you. What is your problem?” Steve replied, “Nothing, my brother.” McBill then said, “You’re not sleeping here tonight. Last night, you just opened the front door, passed through my room, and tried to open the door to go into my girlfriend’s room. Go by your aunt, and tomorrow you will have to leave.”
At approximately 7:05 p.m., McBill received a phone call and left the house to go to the public road at Lahaut. He had not seen Steve when he left. He proceeded to Green’s Supermarket.
Between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. on 4th January 2017, a neighbour heard Valda shouting, “Christine! Christine! Help! He is trying to kill me!” At the time, Valda was seen standing by the window wearing a black blouse.
Around 7:55 p.m., while returning home, McBill encountered his uncle, Jeff Olive, running down the road. After a brief exchange, McBill began running toward his house. On the way, he met Ricky Charles, who also spoke with him and handed him a cutlass.
Upon arriving home, McBill opened the door and found his girlfriend, Valda, lying on the living room floor in a pool of what appeared to be blood. She had multiple severe wounds to her head, neck, and buttocks. A black-handled cutlass with a blade approximately two feet long was found next to her. This cutlass belonged to Mc Bill and was normally stored out of reach because it was sharp, and he wished to keep it away from the children. Steve had previously borrowed this cutlass and returned it to its storage place.
McBill then saw Steve standing in the living room, near the bedroom door, holding his daughter. Mc Bill picked up the cutlass and began walking toward Steve, who then entered the bedroom and fled out the back door, leaving the child behind. McBill gave chase but eventually stopped when he lost sight of Steve. Upon returning to the house, he found his son lying in a pool of what appeared to be blood in the bedroom. His daughter was on the bed in the same room. The plywood partition separating the two bedrooms had been broken and was lying on the floor. McBill picked up both children and left the house. He brought his daughter to a cousin and left his son with a neighbour.
McBill then encountered a police officer, to whom he handed over the cutlass. The cutlass was later shown to the accused, who said, “That is the cutlass I used.”
Fernillia Felix-Frederick, Senior State Prosecutor, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), prosecuted on behalf of the State.
Joshua Francis and Destiny Pascal from HAJ Law Chambers represented Steve Emmanuel Paul Olive, who pleaded guilty to the offence of murder.
He also in open court expressed his remorse for his actions and apologized to the family, saying, “The greatest regret in my life is the murder, and I still think about it, which has caused a rift between my brother and me. I am truly sorry for my actions, and he is hoping to mend that relationship.”
Mitigation
Francis told the court that his client is 41 years old who lost his mother when he was 10 years old, and is from the Gullet River of the Kalinago Territory.
“As the court heard, he has stated that the greatest regret in his life is the murder, and he still thinks about it, which has caused a rift between his brother and himself, and he is hoping to mend that relationship.”
“His time in prison has offered him an opportunity for reform and rehabilitation. He has also returned to the doctrine of his faith, the Seventh Day Adventist. He has pleaded guilty to the offence of murder, is remorseful, and fully cooperated with the police.
He is someone with a quiet and reserved disposition who loves his sports. The Social Inquiry report has also pointed to the fact that he is “extremely remorseful for his actions.”
Sentencing
In his computation of the sentence, Justice Colin Williams explained that the convict will not get “a life sentence” but stated that a “bladed weapon was used in committing the act of murder.”
Aggravating facts
- Olive committed the crime at the house of the victim
- Two children were present and may have witnessed the crime
- It was unprovoked
Mitigating Facts
- Co-operated fully with the police
- Expressed his genuine remorse
- Prospect for rehabilitation
- Guilty plea
However, Justice Williams pointed out that the aggravating facts far outweighed the mitigating facts, and his starting sentence was 30 years’ jail. Giving his views that the aggravating facts far outweighed the mitigating facts, he added 3 years, making it 33 years. For the mitigating facts, he deducted 3 years, bringing it down to 30 years or 360 months.
For his early guilty plea 1/3 deduction amounted to 118 months, bringing it to 242 months. He stated further that the long delay before the matter came before the High Court was “unsatisfactory” and for this he deducted a further 24 months, bringing it to 218 months, his time on remand (8 years 5 months), 100 months, bringing the deduction down to 118 months.
“Steve Emmanuel Paul Olive, please stand, for the murder of Valda Rosa Laville, for which you pleaded guilty on May 22, 2025, you are hereby sentenced to 9 years in prison, which is (118 months) effective May 22, 2025 the date that you pleaded guilty,” Justice Williams stated.
We have to amend the penalties for such unprovoked and/or vile offences and these “sentencing guidelines” for the Court. Seventeen years, even in the case of “genuine remorse,” etc., appears minimal to me.
Very minimal , the aggravating facts should impose a much harsher punishment. Unprovoked and leaving those kids without a mother is enough to give life , smh