OBA’s decision to back Lewis “a gross insult”
Kellon Hill (left); Kellan Lewis (right). File photos
The family of Kellon Hill, who was stabbed to death in 2008, have condemned the OBA for a “shocking and deeply insensitive decision” to roll out one of the people involved in the crime as an election candidate. (SCROLL DOWN FOR FULL STATEMENT)
The family say Kellan Lewis, who served 4-and-a-half years of a 12-year sentence for manslaughter, has “made no effort to engage with our family or to address the pain and suffering caused by their involvement in Kellon’s death.”
Kellon Hill died in August 2008 following an altercation in which a group of teens reportedly set upon him, and he was fatally stabbed.
Five teens were charged but only Kellan Lewis, who was 16 at the time of the killing, was found guilty of manslaughter in 2010.
Mr Lewis was announced on Tuesday as the One Bermuda Alliance candidate for Constituency 32: Southampton West.
In a statement, Kellon Hill’s family said, “Over the past 16 years, our family has borne the weight of grief and injustice. Not one of the perpetrators has reached out to us to express genuine remorse or to make amends for their actions.
“While we firmly believe in the power of rehabilitation, we also believe that true rehabilitation requires accountability, responsibility, and a willingness to face the consequences of one’s actions.
“The decision by the OBA to roll out one of these individuals as a viable candidate for public service is a gross insult to the memory of Kellon and to our family.
“The lack of consultation with victims’ families in such matters demonstrates a troubling level of insensitivity and a failure to understand the core principles of justice and rehabilitation.”
The Hill family also urged decision makers in the OBA to ask how Kellan Lewis demonstrated accountability and remorse, and what actions he has taken to make amends with them.
Upon publishing our report on Wednesday, Bermuda Broadcasting reached out to the OBA to ask whether they had communicated with the family of Kellon Hill ahead of announcing Kellan Lewis as a candidate.
The OBA did not respond directly to the question, but OBA Leader Jarion Richardson said the party stood behind the decision to roll out Mr Lewis as a candidate.
“He paid his debt to society”, Mr Richardson said, “…[he] has proven that your past does not define your future, and when you choose a positive path in life, nothing can stand in your way of blazing a trail.”
In prison, Mr Lewis wrote a book about the mindset that can lead youth to descend into crime, and following his release he formed a music company to support young Bermudian rappers.
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Full Statement on Behalf Kellon Hill’s Family:
“It is with deep pain and anguish that we, the family of the late Kellon Hill, address the shocking and deeply insensitive decision to present an individual involved in the heinous crime that took Kellon’s life as a candidate for public office.
In August 2008, our beloved Kellon was taken from us in the prime of his life, just days away from beginning his freshman year at university. His brutal [death] at the hands of five individuals robbed us of a son, a brother, an uncle, a nephew, and a friend. It also left a permanent scar on our family and community, as we endured the agony of a court process that delivered manifestly inadequate sentencing for those responsible.
Over the past 16 years, our family has borne the weight of grief and injustice. Not one of the perpetrators has reached out to us to express genuine remorse or to make amends for their actions. Instead, we have been left to cope with the immeasurable loss of a young man full of potential, whose light was extinguished far too soon.
The decision by the OBA to roll out one of these individuals as a viable candidate for public service is a gross insult to the memory of Kellon and to our family. While we firmly believe in the power of rehabilitation, we also believe that true rehabilitation requires accountability, responsibility, and a willingness to face the consequences of one’s actions. To date, this individual has made no effort to engage with our family or to address the pain and suffering caused by their involvement in Kellon’s death.
The lack of consultation with victims’ families in such matters demonstrates a troubling level of insensitivity and a failure to understand the core principles of justice and rehabilitation. Public service requires integrity, accountability, and trust, qualities that cannot exist without first taking responsibility for past actions and making meaningful amends.
Every day, Kellon’s mother, father, siblings, nieces, and nephews struggle with the reality of his absence. His voice was silenced by an unconscionable act, and it is our duty to speak on his behalf. We categorically oppose this decision and call on the political organization to reexamine its judgment.
“
We urge those responsible to ask critical questions:
• How has this individual demonstrated accountability and remorse?
• What actions have been taken to make amends with the victims’ family and the community?
• How does this decision reflect the principles of justice and rehabilitation?
As we remember Kellon, we ask for a higher standard of responsibility and compassion from those who aspire to lead. True rehabilitation begins with acknowledgment of harm and making things right with those who have suffered. Anything less dishonors the memory of the lives lost and the families left behind.
We stand as a family in firm opposition to this decision, speaking not only for ourselves but for Kellon, who is no longer here to speak for himself.”
– The Hill Family
