By LAMECH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
ljohnson@tribunemedia.net
A WOMAN arraigned yesterday in connection with her father's murder may undergo a psychiatric evaluation during her remand at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services because of statements she made in court.
Antonia Butler, 23, Silver Palm Boulevard, stood before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt accused of “intentionally and unlawfully causing the death of Anthony Butler” on Saturday, January 9.
Butler, a College of the Bahamas lecturer and Valley Boys Junkanoo member, was allegedly stabbed in the chest during an argument at his Imperial Park home over the weekend.
He was pronounced dead by EMS personnel upon their arrival at the scene.
Although the 23-year-old accused was not required to enter a plea to the charge and was informed that the case will be fast-tracked to the Supreme Court on January 26, she claimed she had already “pleaded guilty” while in police custody.
Butler, who was unrepresented by legal counsel yesterday, was told by the chief magistrate that she will be allowed to enter a plea to the charge when formally arraigned in the Supreme Court.
Butler then claimed to be the daughter of the late Princess Diana and told the court she had been in exile in the Bahamas for some time.
The accused asked to be remanded to the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre instead of prison, claiming she was pregnant and feared the prison's foul odours and food.
The chief magistrate made a note of the complaint and a recommendation for a psychiatric exam to determine whether the accused should be transferred to the facility.
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