Slay suspect in court after years on lam
A dozen relatives of two slain sisters packed a Dorchester courtroom to see the man accused of the killings finally face justice after being on the run for six years.
Jean Weevins Janvier, 35, was caught in Haiti last month and pleaded not guilty in Suffolk Superior Court yesterday to two counts of murder, two counts of armed assault in a dwelling and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. He is accused of shooting dead Stephanie Emile, 21, and Judith Emile, 23 — sisters who had moved from Haiti eight years before the Nov. 14, 2011, murder to make a better life for themselves in Boston.
“It’s been tough. I’m glad we’re here today. I’m glad he’s caught. Basically were going to move forward and seek justice for my sisters,” Miralda Emile said outside the courthouse. “It was very very heart-wrenching. It was very hurtful. It was very emotional.”
The girl who was a toddler at the time she witnessed her aunts’ executions was also in court, as were the parents, Miralda Emile added. “She’s doing well. It’s been a hard road for her. She was young when it happened so she’s still recovering from it. She remembers him. She saw him,” she said. “We’re just here to find justice for Stephanie and Judith. That’s all.”
Stephanie Emile had a shortlived romance with Janvier. The suspect’s anger at the ending of that relationship is what drove him to kill, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s Office said.
Janvier shot Stephanie Emile in the back of the head then turned the gun on her sister, shooting her three times, including once in the forehead, Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Mark Lee said. The toddler was left in the home, unharmed.
Janvier was called in for questioning by police that December, and within 48 hours he was on a plane to Haiti, where prosecutors say he remained until June 3 when a task force of island police and federal authorities tracked him down and arrested him at his mother’s home.