The assassination of Robert Mackford Bush in September 2011 sparked one of the bloodiest weeks in Cayman’s history, as tensions between the rival Logwoods and Birch Tree Hill gangs played out on the streets.
In this feature, the Cayman Compass Cold Case Files, in partnership with the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, concludes its investigation into the four unsolved homicides of September 2011, shining the light on Bush’s murder, which triggered the bloody tit-for-tat killings that followed.
Case that never closed
Robert Mackford Bush’s case is different from the others highlighted so far in this series, in that West Bay resident Brian Emmanuel Borden was convicted of murdering the 28-year-old man.
Borden is currently serving a 34-year sentence for the 13 Sept. 2011 homicide.
In the cases of Andrew Baptist, Preston Rivers and Jason Christian, no charges were laid against suspects questioned in their murders.
Even though Borden is in jail for Bush’s killing, Serious Crime Review Team leader Detective Sergeant Peter Dean said, for the RCIPS, the case has not been closed.
“Mr. Borden has been convicted of Robert’s murder and he was sentenced to a minimum tariff of 34 years. However, that shouldn’t detract from the fact… that it’s a well-known fact and a proven fact that there were two people culpable for the murder of Robert Bush and there is an outstanding murderer that we would like to identify and bring to justice,” Dean said.
He said the police need those with information to step forward.
“… [T]here are people in the community who do know who the second shooter is and can, if they so wish, step up to the plate and give evidence that would identify the person responsible,” he said.
Four murdered in Sept. 2011
- Tuesday, 13 Sept. 2011
Robert Mackford Bush, 28, is shot in the head inside his vehicle just off Birch Tree Hill Road in West Bay.- Thursday, 15 Sept. 2011
Andrew Anthony Baptist, 24, is gunned down by two unknown assailants while standing in a yard on Sand Hole Road in West Bay.- Saturday, 17 Sept. 2011
Preston Rivers, 18, is shot in the head in the vicinity of Thatch Palm Villas on Andresen Road in West Bay.- Monday, 19 Sept. 2011
Jason Christian, 18, is shot in the head inside a vehicle near Crewe Road in George Town.
Dean pointed out that, as in the other cases, Bush was probably walking down the wrong path, but he had a chance to turn his life around.
“[He was] still a young man, [he] still had time to change direction… still had time to become a good member of the community. [He] didn’t get that opportunity. His life was taken away from him,” Dean said, adding whether or not a person has a criminal history, “everybody has a right to life… everybody. And it’s imperative that we try and bring these killers that we believe are still out on the streets of the Cayman Islands to justice”.
Jealousy breeds contempt
Dean noted that, similar to the other killings, Bush too had been threatened at that time, as there were tensions between those aligned with the Logwoods and Birch Tree Hill gangs.
Bush, he said, was tied to Logwoods and, at that time, his love interest lived on Birch Tree Hill Road and he would often frequent the area, which provoked members of that gang.
“There’s every chance that this is something as silly as jealousy regarding a female that may well be the start of this. [We are] not 100% certain, and until somebody who was there and who knows, stands up and tells us, we can only [have] case theory, but we believe that’s most probably the reason,” he said.
In the Crown’s case against Borden, it was revealed that he had been threatening Bush when he visited Birch Tree Hill and had even lurked outside Bush’s female companion’s apartment hoping to encounter him, which the trial judge characterised as “stalking”.
On the fateful night of 13 Sept., life for the Bush family would change forever.
Dean said it was around 11:20pm when Bush went to meet his female companion, who was getting into his car when she noticed two men running towards him.
“She identified they both had weapons. She got into the car and she told Robert to quickly drive away. But, unfortunately, he wasn’t quick enough and before he could actually get away, the two offenders caught up with the vehicle. Shots were fired from two weapons and the vehicle did careen off for a very short distance,” Dean said.
He said their car then hit a wall.
“The girl received superficial gunshot injuries and was later conveyed to the hospital. But unfortunately, Robert received shocking injuries and he died,” Dean said.
He said following Bush’s murder, Andrew Baptist’s name was called as being involved.
“He [Baptist] actually turned up to this scene and then it was, as word gets out wrongly, his name was mentioned, and we think that might be a reason why Andrew subsequently got murdered,” he said.
Dean said the ballistics in Bush’s murder showed that one of the weapons in the shooting used 12-gauge cartridges and the other one was a nine-millimetre handgun.
“So we are very content that there were two shooters,” Dean said.
“We need help… I’m asking for the public to come forward,” he said, to give not only Bush’s family justice, but also the families of Baptist, Rivers and Christian.
“You’re not helping me as an individual. You’re not helping the police as an organisation. You’re helping yourselves. You actually open the community of the Cayman Islands. Generally speaking, the Cayman Islands is an incredible place, a safe place. It’s a good place. But it’s important we keep that and we try and improve it,” he said.
Any piece of information, he added, can make a difference.
Bush’s killing, he said, had a domino effect that claimed three other lives.
He said looking back on the cases was hard for him, as all four men were young and could have become productive citizens, but their lives were unnecessarily cut short.
Anyone with information relating to Robert Mackford Bush’s murder or any of the cases in this series can call the Serious Crime Review Team confidential tip line
at 649-2930.
Dean said one of the most striking things for him about the whole sequence of events that played out that month was that, although the four men were divided in life, they were somewhat united through death.
“Four young men in different corners of allegiances regarding gangs would not step across the road to talk to one another on a daily basis because of the gang affiliations, but they all ended up on the same page, all four of them… the page for the announcements of deaths for September 2011,” he said pointing to the document.
This, he said, was “incredibly sad”.
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