Mother Murdered – By Deslyn A Joseph
Mother Murdered Youth Cricketer
Six months after the tragic death of 17-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Vonde Bowers, his mother Vangetta Hector and other family members staged a protest opposite His Majesty’s Prison (HMP) yesterday, alleging a lack of transparency and a potential “cover-up” by authorities regarding the housing of her son’s accused killer.
The protest followed the discovery that the 16-year-old suspect was transferred from HMP to the Denis Bowers Rehabilitation Center without any official notification to the grieving family.
Speaking with Observer media, Hector displayed profound grief and frustration as she revealed that she only learned of the transfer through a WhatsApp message and subsequent news reports, instead of through official police channels.
“While previous updates regarding the suspect’s arrest, charging, and initial detention at the prison were communicated to me, the move to the rehabilitation facility formerly known as the Boys Training School was not provided,” she explained.
“I think that it’s only due diligence for the investigating officers to call and update the family every time something changes,” she stated, and characterized the silence as “madness”.
The controversy centers on the legal treatment of minors in the justice system. While some reports suggest a recently passed law prohibits housing minors at the adult institution, Hector questioned why the accused murderer was prioritized for transfer while other minors allegedly remain incarcerated at HMP.
She noted that historical precedent at the training school did not include housing individuals accused of “hardcore” crimes like murder.
“Why was he number two on the list and he committed murder?” she queried. “Why did nobody try to fight this and say, ‘well, he needs to stay here’?” she added.
Bowers, a promising athlete from Ottos Comprehensive School who had recently earned a spot on the national under-19 cricket team, died on July 29, 2025 after he sustained multiple stab wounds in the Gray’s Farm area. His mother shared her belief that the incident, which occurred during what was reportedly her son’s first-ever physical fight, may have been a “set-up” involving a gang rather than a solitary altercation.
She urged investigators to be more proactive and alert, expressing fear that the case could be “thrown out” like others she has seen recently in the news.
Bowers was laid to rest on September 25th 2025 after a funeral service at the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Valley Road.
However, his mother vowed to continue her fight for justice, rejecting the notion that she should wait the typical two to three years for a case to be called. She insisted that the suspect’s age should not be used as a shield for an individual of “sound” mind who admitted to committing the crime.
“My son is dead and I need to fight for justice for my child,” she declared. “This definitely will not be one of those cases that is just let to sit,” Hector said.
