Prosecutors: Quant and Wawoe offered one million guilders for Hato killing

WILLEMSTAD – Prosecutors allege that Shurendy “Tyson” Quant and Urvin “Nuto” Wawoe offered a one-million-guilder reward for the killing of Erwin “Djais” Juliana, leader of the rival Buena Vista City gang, according to a report by Curaçao.nu.

Juliana and Shentley “Champi” Arnhem were shot dead during the July 15, 2014 shooting at Curaçao’s Hato airport, in which seven bystanders were also injured. Prosecutors say Juliana was the specific target and that the attack was linked to the violent conflict between No Limit Soldiers (NLS) and Buena Vista City.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office repeated the allegation during the first preliminary hearing in the criminal case against Quant. Prosecutors contend that Quant and Wawoe, whom they describe as NLS leaders, made the one-million-guilder reward available. Their case relies in part on witness statements and encrypted communications allegedly linked to Quant.

The key question, however, is whether prosecutors can establish a direct personal link between Quant and the order to carry out the killing. In the earlier case against Wawoe, the court found strong indications that the NLS leadership was connected to the Hato attack, but ruled that there was insufficient evidence to convict Wawoe personally as one of those who ordered it.

Prosecutors now hope PGP messages attributed to Quant will provide stronger evidence. The defense has requested access to the full message dataset so it can examine how the communications were linked to Quant and whether they have been presented in their proper context.

Quant has not responded substantively to the allegations and invoked his right to remain silent. The next preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 27.