Following the guilty plea of the woman charged with the stabbing death of eight-year-old schoolgirl Danielle Rowe, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has called for Jamaicans to unite in protecting the nation’s children from violence.

Kayodi Satchell pleaded guilty to murder and child stealing, bringing a significant development in the case that shocked the nation. Rowe, a second-grade student at Braeton Primary and Infant School in Portmore, St Catherine, was abducted from her school on June 8 last year. Later that day, she was found on Roosevelt Avenue in St Andrew with her throat slashed. Despite being rushed to the Bustamante Hospital for Children, she succumbed to her injuries two days later. A post-mortem report confirmed that Rowe died from a wound to her neck.

Prime Minister Holness condemned the brutal killing, describing it as “barbaric,” and expressed relief at the guilty plea. “I commend the police for their thorough investigation, which resulted in the perpetrator being brought to justice,” he stated.

Holness reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to reducing violent crimes, especially those targeting children. He also noted progress in the overall crime rate, citing a 17.8 percent reduction in murders this year. “We will continue to aggressively pursue further significant reductions in murders,” he added, following a briefing by the police commissioner upon his return from the UN.