Castries, St. Lucia --

The body of a Grenadian who was a top civil servant in St. Lucia was found in a pool of blood at her home in Grande Riviere, St. Lucia. The body of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Planning, Marcia Philbert-Jules, believed to be in her late 40's, was discovered on Monday.

Police suspect that the killer or killers of Mrs. Philbert-Jules gained entry through a window outside of which a ladder had been placed to facilitate access. Friends of the dead woman say it was the only window in the house that did not have grille work because it was such a distance from the ground. Neighbours say they heard and saw nothing until an alarm was raised.

Philbert-Jules is the sister of Merrill St. John, the wife of Alvin St. John, the Executive Secretary of the Public Workers Union (PWU).
St. Lucia's Acting Police Commissioner John Broughton said that his men responded shortly after 8 o'clock Monday morning.³Our officers arrived (and) when they got there they found a woman who had been stabbed. We called the ambulance service who took the individual away. At the time that she left the scene she was badly injured," he said.

Philbert-Jules was found, barely alive with a faint pulse and with multiple stab wounds, at her home at Piat, Gros Islet, at approximately 8:00 a.m. Monday morning, by a close friend who investigated why she hadn't been responding to his calls.

Still alive, she was rushed to hospital shortly after sunrise, where she died at approximately 9:30 a.m. in the operating theatre. The police have been quick to act on this case, with the Acting Commissioner, John Broughton, and Detective Superintendent Peter Davis -- both British officers on contract with the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force -- reporting that one young man was held within hours.

The man, who has not been identified by name, is said to be a 16-year-old. Mrs Philbert-Jules' car, which was stolen from her home by her assailant(s), was also recovered by the police.

The assailant(s) entered the house using a ladder found on the scene to enter a window on an elevated side of the house ­ the only one without a wrought iron grill. There were reports that the victim was also raped, but this has not been confirmed as the results of a post mortem carried out on the night of June 25 have not yet been revealed.

Born in La Digue, St Andrew's, Grenada, Marcia Philbert studied in Cuba at the University of Havana before migrating to Saint Lucia, where she married Dr. Didacus Jules, who also served in Grenada during the period of the 1979 83 Grenada Revolution.

Jules was Co-ordinator for the Centre for Popular Education (CPE) under the Ministry of Education, headed by the late Jacqueline Creft.
Following the 1997 victory of the Saint Lucia Labour Party, Dr and Mrs Jules served as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, respectively.

Dr. Jules retired from government several years ago to take up a job as a senior executive with Cable & Wireless (West Indies) Ltd in Saint Lucia.

But Mrs Jules went on to serve as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and then as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Planning. At the time of her death, the couple were separated.