US woman charged over gun dies suddenly
Carol Ann McNeill-Skorupan
(CNS): An American woman facing retrial in the Cayman Islands over the possession of an unlicensed gun, which was found in luggage shipped here to meet a cruise ship on which she was a passenger, died Thursday, according to a US funeral home. Carol Ann McNeill-Skorupan (68) “passed away unexpectedly”, the Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home in Wisconsin posted on its website at the weekend. McNeill-Skorupan, who had not returned to Cayman for her first trial after being bailed, was tried in her absence, but at the end of the case the jury was unable to reach a verdict.
After the jury was dismissed on 17 April, the case was mentioned again in Grand Court the following day — the very day she is believed to have died — to set a date for a new trial in September. There is no indication from the obituaries how McNeill-Skorupan died or at what time, since neither the prosecutors nor her own defence attorneys were aware of the woman’s death when the new trial was set.
The case was one of the first where a tourist found with a weapon that was licensed in their own country but not here in Cayman had opted to go to trial rather than make admissions.
McNeill-Skorupan had claimed that she had not ordered the missing bag, which had been mislaid by Delta Airlines, to be sent to Cayman. The crown, however, had contended that she had done so, based on a paper trail involving the airline, shipping agent and the cruise ship where she was a passenger.
Customs officers had found the small 0.25 calibre gun and six rounds of ammunition in the bag when it and several other pieces of missing luggage arrived at Owen Roberts International Airport for several passengers calling on George Town that day.
Although the possession of an unlicensed firearm or ammunition carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years, in most cases where visitors with legal permits inadvertently bring a weapon or ammunition into Cayman, they are dealt with under the exceptional circumstances provision in the law.
It is common for US lawful gun holders with conceal carry permits, as was the case with McNeill-Skorupan, to be given a significant fine after pleading guilty. While they are expected to pay costs and lose the gun involved, usually no convictions are recorded.
CNS understands that the case is expected to be raised before a judge this week in order to confirm the woman’s death.
Category: Crime
It is very disappointing that the authorities let this criminal flee to avoid answering for her gun crime.
After all this…I will NEVER travel to the Cayman Islands. From the comments, the Cayman islands look like an anti-American, hateful country. Let this family grieve in peace. Someone’s mother, sister, wife and friend lost her life over this. Isn’t that good enough for you people?
If by “this” you mean her refusal to face a trial then that was her choice. The Cayman Islands is blessed by the lack of guns and the strength of its gun control, which is highly valued. Not anti-American, just anti-gun. But as your nation has a flippant attitude to guns, too many tourists see to think their local 2nd amendment rights extend across international borders. Your nation may be happy with 1200 kids being shot dead a year, but keep those sort of rights to yourself.
You know, the harder you look into this thing, the weirder it gets. It’s like a whole storyline from Fargo. For example, how was she admitted to land in the Cayman Islands, clearing Immigration and Customs on her expired USA passport? Who signed off on that?!?
Did you even bother to read the article? She was here on a Cruise ship. Has nothing to do with our immigration department. All cruise ship passengers are pre-cleared at the port of departure.
If Celebrity, or any other cruise lines are in the habit of violating/falsifying their HM Customs pre-arrival notification attestations, the Cayman Port should be revoking their participation in the pre-clearance program. Whoever signed off on this Clearance Certificate at HM Customs should be suspended pending investigation.
Further, she arrived by ship, and left by plane. How much of a joke do we want Customs/Immigration to be?
https://www.caymanport.com/cruise-ships/
Why do you think they violated pre clearance? US cruise lines do not require a passport from US citizens starting and ending the cruise in a US port, who can provide a birth certificate and a photo ID. Perfectly normal. As for her leaving by air, hardly her choice
Innocent people do not breach bail and avoid their trials.
Pretty clear the Cayman judicial system took her life.
Nonsense. If she was innocent, which she clearly was not, she could have come to face trial rather than hide like a guilty coward.
Innocent till proven guilty! People react differently to stress and cannot handle it!
I like cats
You weirdo!
You keep saying that, but I see no evidence.
While this is unfortunate that she passed on, people need to chill. Obviously her family and friends are hurt and are on this board posting about how Americans shouldn’t visit here. Sad to read that because she packed a gun to bring on a ship to different countries. That’s not a law abiding person with a gun. Law is law. Now do I think she was going to shoot up the place? No, but also people are crazy up north and we can’t set precedent because she was an old lady! One day a crazy person may actually want to shoot in this place like they do in their country and it’s up to our laws to protect us from that. Sorry USA, keep your guns. We would rather keep our people safe.
If guns kill people, pencils cause spelling mistakes.
Do you feel safe yet? I don’t. There is nothing between me and the criminals to protect me. Nothing. If a “crazy person” breaks into my home and I manage to prevail, I will be charged with excessive force. Me, beyond middle-aged, not knowing their intent, who would choose to defend myself with the few legal tools left to us, would be found at fault, not the criminal who broke in with criminal intent.
If you get nothing else, understand this: You are on your own, and there is nothing/nobody there to protect you from the criminal element at large here, not even the laws. It’s not the RCIPS’ fault — they can’t be everywhere — it’s the fault of our system and our laws that don’t allow a person to defend themselves in their own home. Check it out. I hope you are shocked.
You people think guns are safe but they are not! I’d rather run into a criminal with a banana instead of a gun. What don’t you get?
They can visit as long as the understand our laws dont allow firearms to be everywhere like hard candy.
prior to traveling to any destination one should check the Laws and regulations of the intended destiny. this is simple common sense.
Her situation was a little different, but I agree she probably didn’t really need to have a gun for cruise.
Not the way of the fly-over staters.
The 16hr CCW Gun School covers State Reciprocity and Carry Law. Wisconsin CCW is very clearly not valid in Florida. https://madison.gunclass.com
She was prohibited from taking the gun aboard the cruise in the first place. You can’t simply take a gun on a cruise because you have a carry permit in Wisconsin. And you certainly can’t take your gun with you when you disembark at ports of call either.
The questions is, why did Cayman Customs x-ray the bag in the first place if it was being forwarded as lost luggage to a cruise ship that would be leaving Cayman by 5pm? Is that standard practice, I doubt it. File this whole mess under, no good deed goes unpunished.
Is that actually a serious question, did you even think it through? Ever heard of smuggling illegal goods? A bag enters the country, it has to be checked otherwise between points A and B the local drug trade can be replenished or the local gang can restock on hardware. Think about it SMH.
As the law said no one have a gun unlicensed in Cayman islands included 12 miles off shore!
ALL baggage, especially ‘lost’ baggage should be scanned, period as is standard practice worldwide. What if it contained drugs, or explosive devices, laundered money or guns? A less draconian approach for genuine oversights like this ought to be introduced though. But many government officials seem to relish every opportunity to weild their powers. It’s like guilty until found innocent.
I don’t think anybody would deliberately bring in a .25 calibre firearm – probably the most ineffective calibre there is. I’ve heard of people being shot in the head with a Baby Browning (a .25 calibre semi-auto) and the bullet bouncing off the skull. Not really a calibre you want to risk so much on. It does make a loud bang; but it’s most effective as a paperweight. Sad if her death was stress-led as a result of this.
Sad? Not really because it was completely avoidable by not packing a gun in a bag when you travel to another country.
I don’t understand why your comment has received so many thumbs down votes. What you are saying is factually correct. I can only assume that the majority of people have never had any exposure to firearms and are providing feedback out of emotion and fear.
The recharging of the case following the jury’s dismissal is what caused this woman’s death as it probably became clear to her that the prosecution was hell bent on getting a guilty verdict. There are deep problems within the Cayman judicial system and much of it stems from prosecutors seeking to keep themselves employed and oftentimes bring charges which ought not to be brought.
CNS please ask for the statistics of criminal prosecutions in this country, and the number of acquittals/successful prosecutions. Then compare no of criminal prosecutions annually to size population (65k). Also enquire the number of prosecutors per size population of this country. Then compare those with a selection of countries including any other Caribbean countries, even the UK and you will see how lopsided the Cayman Islands is.
The prosecutors here are almost 100% from other countries, so there is a disconnect between them turning innocent people into criminals just so they can receive the large tax-free salaries they could not otherwise earn in their home countries. This need to be looked into by our MLAs. The impartially and integrity of the country’s judicial system is hugely important, arguably just as important as education, health care, etc. and must occupy the attention of our leaders. An innocent person being wrongly convicted or even charged can change that individual’s life forever and even of itself make criminals of perfectly law-abiding citizens.
Many serial killers have no previous convictions. What’s your point?
what is your point? Comparing serial killers to a professional woman of 68 years old who would have never even put her hand on that suitcase in the Cayman Islands had it not been shipped there, not by her, but the airline. Good intentions gone wrong. Cayman Blind.
Most likely the Cruise ship would have found her gun during their Security Screening.
Traveling with a gun is illegal.
What’s your point?
Travelling with a gun is not illegal in the US and it is far from clear that this lady intended for it to be sent to the ship. Presumably the prosecution will agree to return her bail to her estate.
It is illegal on the cruise ship also! It was illegal in Florida as she did not have a licence in Florida. Unfortunate that she passed but what she did was illegal and was probably trying to get away with it because she is a ‘little old lady’
Where do you people get this stuff? A Wisconsin concealed carry permit is recognized in Florida. Travelling with a gun in your luggage is legal in the US. A gun in your checked baggage is not carrying a concealed weapon. This lady did not ever have this gun in her possession in Cayman. That’s why the jury hung.
They get it from the facts. A Wisconsin licence is not recognized in Florida. It is legal to travel with a firearm, but it’s not to put it in hold luggage without declaring it. And having a gun in a bag is carrying concealed unless it is in a locked container. Where do you get your stuff?
You are wrong. Educate yourself. Florida has reciprocity agreements with many states, including Wisconsin. There was no crime committed in Florida. This woman should never have been prosecuted.
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/ccw_reciprocity_map/fl-gun-laws/
Read and be educated.
Thanks for the advice. And the helpful link. Which clearly shows that there is NO reciprocity between Wisconsin and Florida. So perhaps you should educate yourself. 😉
THANK you. I was struggling with the proper way to word my response, and there you were.
Exactly. The jury was properly hung because she didn’t cause this situation, and the situation she intended was not illegal in any of the applicable jurisdictions.
What were the good intentions of packing a handgun and ammo for a cruise where all weapons are strictly prohibited?
Amazingly, in the post-9/11 traveling world, the TSA still confiscates on average 80-90 handguns a week from airport hand-luggage, most of which are not only loaded, but have a live round chambered. Majority of those belonged to CCW Permit holders, who bark and moan about their Second Amendment rights as they get dragged away by local enforcement. There has been a sharp statistical RISE in discoveries since MAGA got into power…as if being an American Republican were sufficient to veto all other law and reason, foreign and domestic.
The only thing I agree with in your comment is the prosecution waste A LOT of public money fishing for, and following through on every charge conceivable rather than focusing and pursuing the core charges issues in each case. When it’s obvious to anyone (and it often is) that charges will fail, they shouldn’t be brought or investigated in the first place.
The disturbing aspect of this for me is not that she was prosecuted but that the DPP were prepared to incur the costs of a second trial having failed first time around AND incur the costs of an extradition in regards to what seems to be a low risk offender whilst they walk away from prosecution let alone extradition on far more serious cases. WTF had this woman done to piss them off that badly.
To all the “pity merchants” who cry “shame” on Cayman’s judicial system – what if a Caymanian 70 year-old woman or man had “inadvertently” brought an unlicensed (or unauthorized) firearm into a US jurisdiction? They would have been charged accordingly and would have to face the judicial consequences. Who the hell are you to say we must scrub our laws for any visitor?
Many Americans seem to think the world revolves around them. Perhaps they and the lady in question should have educated themselves more on laws of foreign jurisdictions. That onus is on them!! Generally, Americans do not inform themselves well about traveling to foreign destinations.
I really like when they tell me we drive on the “wrong” side of the road!! As politely as I can I respond that they better not try driving on the “right” while they’re here!!
This unfortunate story and your unfortunate comment is now being seen by the US citizens you are complaining about. Good job killing your tourism business!! The word is spreading that the Caymans are not American friendly!
8:40 Cayman, as all other jurisdictions, is not Gun friendly.
She may have had intentions, geez, taking a gun on a cruise.
Not criminal friendly you mean. MCGA!
8:40
Cayman is not Gun-friendly – as a Tourist, I am impressed Customs found it.
And your thumbs down prove it… your hard-working merchants are the ones paying for the stupidity of your judicial system chasing after a 70-year-old cruise ship passenger. They are prosecuting your tourists and your business. The word is spreading…
So if I go to the USA with a gun what do you think would happen to me? I almost got arrested for taking a bag a peanuts and my saving grace was that the nut bag said made in the USA. Imagine if they were peanuts from Jamaica or Mexico?
The USA doesn’t have a reciprocity agreement with The Cayman Islands regarding concealed carry, or with anything they consider to be an “international weapon”.
Your comparison is not really in any way applicable to this situation. Ms. McNeill-Skorupan did not break any U.S., Florida, nor international laws. She didn’t choose for her baggage to be forwarded here. That’s why the jury couldn’t convict her, but that wasn’t good enough.
There are cases that should be pushed to every available resource. This wasn’t one of them, and now a person who got caught in the cogs of a confused system is dead.
Except she clearly did break laws in the US. As your own link shows her permit did not extend to Florida where she claims the weapon was going to be kept. And the TSA requires all firearms in checked bags to be declared, which presumably it wasn’t as it would have been picked up earlier rather than x Ray by Cayman Customs. Now breaking the law in the US is not a matter for us, but lay off with the completely innocent person caught up in the wheels of justice crap.
@ 4:29 is doing them a favour. Put the gun issue aside. Being educated & informed is a prudent suggestion for anyone travelling in todays world. Being un-informed and ignorant of other countries laws and general customs , as we have seen , can have unfavourable outcomes.
Singapore hangs drug smugglers irrespective of whether they are tourists or locals. They make it clear that’s their policy – it’s even spelled out to you on the arrival forms. Do you think that deters law abiding tourists? Telling US tourists that we take gun laws really seriously and will prosecute people who bring them in irrespective of their home law or intentions seems to me to not only be unlikely to deter tourists but to be in the interests of everyone, including the tourists. Deals with the “I didn’t know” defence.
Good deal. Move there if you thing it is so progressive.
@4:29 am
your overzealous customs, when it suits them, puts a blind eye on the real criminals who smuggle arms WITH INTEND to harm. your judicial system sets free true criminals and goes to the full extend after innocent visitors who had NO INTENTION to harm anyone and as in this case, wasn’t even in the actual possession of the gun and bullets. Yes, she was innocent. She committed no crime. Her suitcase, to be particular, wasn’t even send by her to this country.
Your country’s bigotry to foreigners is astounding. You kept a 68 yo woman, a visitor in jail for 3 days!! Is it North Korean or Thailand?
“Yes, she was innocent. She committed no crime. ”
Really. You know the TSA requires firearms in checked bags to be declared, right? And that her firearms licence wasn’t going to be valid in Florida – where she definitely did take the gun.
Overzealous customs, hypocritical much? Maybe have a read of this, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/22/us/immigration-detention.html
Splitting up families into separate concentration ahem, detention camps for years. But a little old lady admitting to packing heat, skipping bail, knowingly in contravention of the laws of a foreign land is bigotry. I imagine there are no little old ladies or babies being rounded up and locked away in those sweeps being conducted near the border. Typical. You can go wherever you please in the world and do as you wish but when you can’t have your way it’s the end of the world. Where’s your sympathy for the ‘innocent’ detainees dying in your custody on an almost monthly basis?
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
I’m pretty sure that by all appearances and circumstances, this was a clear and explainable mistake. Unfortunately, stupidity and overzealousness by the Cayman Island DPP killed this poor lady. Hope everyone who went after her stands proud. I’m sure they’re the same people shouting Jesus’ name at the top of their lungs this Sunday. If only they went to such lengths to convict real criminals. Of course they don’t, because it’s much easier to go after defenseless old ladies.
If TSA do their job properly on US soil first place (which they never do) it would never happen in Cayman but out customs are doing their job to stop any illegal stuff enter Cayman islands.
Amen to that Tom!
Ignorance of the law is no excuse..be it in the USA or the Cayman Islands..I seriously doubt the airline would have forwarded her bag to the Cayman Islands without her instructions. There is no way that would have even known that her first stop would be in the Cayman Islands.
It is unfortunate that many US citizens like myself have this opinion that other countries laws means nothing. I have travelled all over the world and before I go I always check for things like visas and and cultural norms and laws. I would never dream of taking a gun on a cruise with me.
My condolences to the family. For all those who thing this is petty I ask the question what if it was one of Caymanian men? Would you all feel the same that it was foolish for the prosecutor to prosecute? The lady could have pleaded guilty, pay the fine and get on with her life.
The punishment is 10 years in jail.
But she didn’t. She skipped bail and hid from justice.
Can you blame her?
Right, she hid in a hospital on her death bed where they could never find her.
Died unexpectedly on the 18th – where does it say she was in hospital during the trial? And if she was why didn’t she tell her lawyers so they could get a continuance?
If situation was exactly the same and the Caymanian obviously never intended to bringing the gun to cayman shores then the answer is yes…I would feel he shouldn’t be prosecuted.
Man, another careless weapon owner. I’m sorry for the loss her family is suffering, but… if you own a weapon, you should have knowledge of the laws governing it. A cruise with your weapon? A lost bag containing your weapon?? That alone deserves jail time.
Not that it really matters now, but a Wisconsin Concealed Carry Permit is not recognized in Florida (and vice versa). Packing that thing was trouble, any way you slice it.
http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/USStatesMyStateHonors.pdf
She had a non resident Florida concealed carry permit. That is recognized in more than 40+ States… May she rest in peace ❤.
4:09
Grand Cayman is not a State nor are Cruises.
She didn’t bring the gun here!
Her luggage so yes, SHE DID.
The airline didn’t just send it here without her instructions…
According to the Compass “Asked if she had told cruise personnel about her firearm, she said she had a licence in her home state of Wisconsin …”. Nothing about a Florida permit.
Very sad that some of her last days were defending a silly charge when she obviously had no intention of bringing the gun to the island. The director of prosecutions continues to show an inability to discern the real criminals from the convenient ones.
So sad
Yes, so sad that she was allowed to evade justice so easily.
The problem with a large majority of U.S. travellers that go abroad think that the laws & rules in the U.S. ( that they are aware of & know well) apply in foreign jurisdictions. Applied in reverse , imagine a person with a [ Cayman] firearms license for target shooting gets stopped in a U.S. airport with the gun in their baggage , the consequences?
Condolences to the woman’s family & loved ones.
Her WI CCW was also invalid in FL:
The crime of Carrying a Concealed Firearm is a Third Degree Felony and is assigned a Level 5 offense severity ranking under Florida’s Criminal Punishment Code.
If convicted of Carrying a Concealed Firearm, a judge can impose any combination of the following penalties:
Up to five (5) years in prison.
Up to five (5) years of probation.
Up to $5,000 in fines.
Except she was not carrying a concealed firearm. Stop making shit up.
Citing dangerous travel destinations before and after, her intention was to bring it aboard the ship, apparently thinking that the ship was Florida soil. That’s why she packed it for the trip. Her passport was also expired, and somehow was allowed to come ashore in the Cayman Islands. In light of the mysterious death, FBI should be looking into the ship manifest to see whether there is any social/business linkage between the couple and other passengers for which she might have wanted to have a gun.
Paranoid much?
Wrong again. Please do a modicum of research. She didn’t intend the gun to be in Cayman. She was legal to carry concealed in Florida due to their reciprocity agreements with others states. Florida law does not consider a firearm in checked baggage to be a concealed weapon.
Please read.
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/ccw_reciprocity_map/fl-gun-laws/
Do a modicum of research? How about you actually read your own research? Since you seem a little challenged, when you open the link, look at the map. See how the state marked WI is red? See how the key says red states are NOT reciprocal? And if that’s a struggle, change the state selector to Wisconsin. See how Florida comes up red? Dear God you come on here criticizing others for not doing read each citing your own which actually says the complete opposite of what you say it does. 10 out of 10 for actually trying to back your beliefs with facts 0 out of 10 for bothering to read it first to see if your assumptions are correct.
all involved in her prosecution should hang their heads in shame.
Why, what do you think would happened to you if you had taken a gun and bullets into another country ? I sympathize with her and her family but according to the story from the court she instructed that the bags be sent her. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. The fact that she died is no fault of the prosecution. If she had pled guilty she would have been given a fine as is usually done and get on with her life. I do not think she had any intention to return for trial. I think the court was very lenient on her by letting her go, I am sure it crossed their minds that she would not return but at least our government would not have the cost of housing her while waiting on the trial. Also before you go blaming every person involved in this please bear in mind that Cayman courts does not even have all the facts yet. Stranger than this happens all over the world every day. I will just say that there could be a twist and a plot to this story..
killed by caymankindness and our stupid backward judicial system
How?
Possibly stress-related to the looming case at almost 70yrs old?
If so, she brought it on herself by skipping bail.
…that’s just part of it…she got a Republican Senator involved, the local and national media (USA Today picked it up), she had aligned also with the Florida/Brac man facing trial next month…Google their states-side comments against Cayman-side pleas to get the better picture of their mindset. This MBA stood to loose at least her CPA and Real Estate Licenses. Her “veteran-owned” business stood be mired as well. Ultimately, we should assume she wasn’t a new-to-the-world dummy, had travelled the world as a scuba diver, attended hours of qualifying CCW classes, and STILL chose to pack the gun in her bag for some purpose, traveling internationally on her expired USA passport. Do we even have the full story yet?
While we foam at the mouth with gun-free hysteria and prosecuting bullshit cases such as these…
…our honest business owners trying to make ends meet, are busy getting robbed at gun point.
In case it hasn’t hit our legislators… guns aren’t what’s committing the crimes!!!
This should be obvious to the brain dead, but apparently it isn’t.
Yes, while that’s true, I’m more likely to give in to a criminal with a gun and not one with a banana. Guns and criminals are the problem.
It is an unfortunate story but the law is the law. It had to be adhered to. Would the US have bent their laws? No, they uphold their laws and like Cayman you have an opportunity to pled your case in the courts. Right now I think it is down to sorrow for the loss of a life not what she was put through here on island as some comments have pointed to. Condolences to her family.
She clearly committed a crime, ignorance of the law or bringing a gun or ammunition by mistake or misfortune won’t get you off the hook. Ignorance of the law is not a defense.
Whoever posted this – there is no excuse for your ignorance. This lady was an otherwise law abiding citizen, the “crime” she was charged with had no victim and there was zero chance of a repeat offense. A mistake such as this should not result in 10 years in prison. Particularly a prison known for inhumane conditions. Prosecutors wanted to prove a point and they may have blood on their hands with this one. Another reason Americans should avoid this destination. Condolences to the family of this poor lady.
@ 4:16
On the contrary, I am not ignorant at all. If you want to own a fire arm then be sensible enough to ensure you are aware of where your firearm is at any at all times. Having a license for a firearm in Wisconsin does not exempt you from prosecution in Florida if you take the same firearm to that state. You will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law in Florida.
If as a local firearm owner I by any reason by intent or just plain carelessness carry a firearm into the US and it is found by the authorities, I will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Having a valid gun license in Cayman will not protect me another’s man country.
The law is the law, what is good for the geese is good for the gander. It is unfortunate that this lady has passed, but the law is the law and no one is above it; visitor, tourist, local, or expatriate.
This lady was an otherwise law abiding citizen, the “crime” she was charged with had no victim and there was zero chance of a repeat offense. A mistake such as this should not result in 10 years in prison. Particularly a prison known for inhumane conditions. Prosecutors wanted to prove a point and they may have blood on their hands with this one. Another reason Americans should avoid this destination. Condolences to the family of this poor lady.
“Another reason Americans should avoid this destination”. So you are saying Americans should be able to break the law of another country with no consequences? And don’t conflate archaic views in Cayman on same sex marriage or homophobia with this subject, which I believe you are attempting to do. Btw the average Caymanian is disgusted with the minority views on those subjects which the Government is pandering to.
Reverse the facts for one moment and realise how ridiculous your stance on this matter is. My god that is such a insular and superior attitude which unfortunately some will pounce on. Cayman is extremely American friendly (I’m Caymanian and have American cousins etc) and for anyone to say otherwise is preposterous. Its a very unfortunate situation but the lady should have known better, end of story. Condolences to the family.
My American family loves it here. No need to avoid at all! What are you talking about.
Mine too!
The innocent do not skip bail.
Scared people who make genuine mistakes in foreign countries probably do. They run in fear of the unknown and in order to access legal representation from someone they trust in their country of origin. People are jailed around the world, often in inhumane conditions for long periods of time, for innocent mistakes made in foreign countries. It’s just a shame that we are coming across as one of those countries in recent years.
Unless they are very sick.
May she rest in peace. What a rediculous case to be brought.
Law is law. Also, *ridiculous
Carol’s vacation-turned-nightmare had been reported on Madison WI local news:
https://wkow.com/news/top-stories/2019/04/01/madison-woman-faces-gun-possession-trial-in-cayman-islands/
As it should. She brought a gun to another country. I’m sick of cowgirls and boys thinking they are above all laws cause they’re ‘Merican. Piss off.
She was going to leave the gun with a friend in Florida, but (Delta Airlines) took it upon themselves to send it to the Cayman Islands,” Skorupan says.
Not her fault. It is our fault, and that of Delta Airlines.
case Closed , R.I.P
The stress that was inflicted upon her took its toll. She wasn’t even remotely a criminal. Shame on the Cayman judicial system for putting this woman through hell.
Those that illegally import guns are criminals in my world.
Dandy hyperbole, but she didn’t “illegally import guns”. Your world is apparently a judgemental one wherein actual facts play no part in your judgement.
If there was a crime here, it was against her. May she rest in peace.
Laws are Laws.
A gun is a gun…
May she RIP, Condolences to her family and friends.
Are we still trying to blame Delta for her decision to pack a handgun for a cruise where all weapons are strictly prohibited? Or are we expected to suspend our legal system for visiting American tourists? Had she taken delivery of her lost bag in Mexico or Jamaica (also not USA states), would the consequences have been much different? Mexico without permit is min 5 yrs jail (Mexican jail). Jamaica guilty plea is fine of $70-100k or arrest for 12mos (Jamaican jail). Had she pled guilty here, like others before her, she would have forfeited the weapon, paid a little fine, and prob had no conviction recorded. Half the hung jury, that reviewed the correspondence, believed she had criminal intent of wanting her bag delivered here (or otherwise to the boat), instead of sending it peacefully back home, or somewhere else. Her choices.
The case would have been disposed of by a magistrate in Jamaica and that is a fact. The DPP here would not have brought a case like that to trial.
Same in UK for these circumstances.