The Murder of Charles Warrender
For this case, I watched an episode of Death on the Beach. It’s season 1 episode 5, titled ‘Seychelles: A Body in the Park.’
A Royal Navy sailor is found dead after a night out with friends.
Background
Charles ‘Charlie’ Warrender was born on November 14, 1992, to parents, Steve and Kate. He grew up in the United Kingdom and also has one younger sister.
Charlie loved nature and loved being active. Steve had mentioned to him that he should think about joining the Royal Navy. That way he would be able to travel to different countries. Charlie applied when he was 17 and joined in September 2012 at age 19.
Charlie was also described as a good person. He was always happy and loved to make people laugh.
Charlie Warrander
A Night Out
In May 2019, Charlie traveled to the small island of Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. He was there with the Royal Navy on board the HMS Richmond, to work on an operation to prevent piracy and people from coming onto the island to smuggle drugs.
On May 29, Charlie and his friends had a weekend off. They decided to go to Victoria, the capital of Seychelles.
Charlie and his friends went out to The Boardwalk, a notorious and expensive bar on the island. After several hours of drinking, Charlie agreed to take his friend back to the ship around midnight. They took a cab together until his friend got out of the taxi at a roundabout.
The Boardwalk in Seychelles
Charlie had broken a Navy protocol called Shockwatch. They were always supposed to go out as a group, and never be alone. It was the last time he was seen alive.
On May 30, Charlie was found dead in a public place. It wasn’t far from the roundabout where his friend had been dropped off.
The “Investigation”
Back in the U.K., around 11 am, Kate received a phone call from her daughter. She and Steve had been out shopping at the time. She learned that two people from the Navy had stopped by the house.
An hour later, they returned to talk to Steve and Kate. They said Charlie had been found dead. The only information they learned was that Charlie’s body had been found in the dockyard not far from the ship. They asked how Charlie had died, but the only answer they got was that they didn’t know.
By Monday morning, Kate decided to look online for any information regarding Charlie’s death. She Googled, ‘Sailor dies in Seychelles.’ She found a photo of Charlie lying dead near a tree. She said she felt a sense of relief because Charlie hadn’t been burnt or chopped up like she was imagining him to be.
Kate sent an email to the Seychelles police. The Royal Navy liaison officer was trying to prevent Kate and Steve from coming to the island. But, they arrived in Seychelles on Thursday, June 4, 2015. It was a 10-hour flight.
Kate and Steve wanted to speak to the police, but their liaison told them that they would communicate with the police on their behalf.
The Autopsy
On June 6, Steve and Kate were finally able to see Charlie’s body.
The story that had been put out there was that Charlie had drunk himself to death.
A forensic pathologist from the U.K. was brought in to perform an autopsy. The cause of death was asphyxiation, consistent with a large amount of alcohol in his body. A toxicology report was ordered.
After 3 days in Seychelles, Kate and Steve returned back to the U.K. They never spoke to the police while they were there.
Charlie’s toxicology report came back around June 26. The report showed that he had a large amount of heroin in his system. He had been injected with it, and more pure white heroin had been thrown over his body.
Charlie’s Last Movements
Charlie’s family wasn’t getting any help from either the police or the Navy. Kate took matters into her own hands. Kate spoke to Charlie’s friends to learn where Charlie had gone on his last night alive.
Kate learned that Charlie had taken care of his friends that night. He had been drinking, but not falling down drunk, or even close to that.
The Navy had provided Kate with CCTV footage from The Boardwalk. Charlie and 4 of his friends had left the ship and walked into Victoria. Around 10 pm, they went into The Boardwalk. They asked how they could get into the VIP lounge at the bar. They were told they needed to purchase a bottle of vodka or champagne. Charlie paid with his card.
While at the bar, Charlie had spoken with a local resident, who was at the bar for her birthday. He introduced himself to her and said they were out for the night. Charlie offered her a drink, and she said yes. Charlie bought a bottle and invited her and her friends to join them in the VIP area.
She said Charlie was being very generous that night. He had apparently been opening his wallet all night and taking out large bills. She told him to be careful as he could be targeted. She also said Charlie was hyper and had been drinking a lot.
Charlie left with his friend who had to report for duty the next morning. They asked where they could get a taxi, and a security guard pointed them in the right direction. On the island, there were licensed taxis and also unlicensed taxis. It’s believed that Charlie and his friend had gotten into an unlicensed taxi. There was a passenger in the front seat, but Charlie and his friend didn’t think anything of it.
What Really Happened?
Charlie’s friend got out of the taxi at a roundabout, and Charlie left in the taxi alone. His body was found the next morning. Charlie’s time of death was just after midnight. Rigor mortis had already set in when he was found.
At 12:24 am, there had been money taken out of Charlie’s bank account. after 3 failed attempts.
Kate couldn’t believe that the police hadn’t attempted to locate the taxi driver or the passenger. It was a very small island.
Kate wondered if Charlie had been targeted due to his job. Due to Charlie’s death, work on the ship had stopped. Kate thought that someone smuggling in drugs needed some breathing room to try and smuggle in their products. Charlie also had heroin thrown over his body. Kate believed that was a message.
In June 2016, an inquest was held. The coroner ruled that Charlie had been expertly inserted with heroin. They said whoever had done it knew what they were doing. There had never been evidence that Charlie had ever done drugs on his own.
Other
Three other military deaths occurred in Seychelles. The deaths were very similar to Charlie’s as piracy, drugs, and alcohol were all factors. Foul play was ruled out in all 3.
Kate and Steve don’t believe that Charlie’s killer or killers will ever be found.
Charlie’s mom, Kate
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’m not really sure what to think. I do believe the motive was robbery as Charlie’s money had been taken. Maybe the killer or killers had seen Charlie using large amounts of money at the bar. They also knew that Charlie had been drinking a lot, and targeted him. It’s horrific to think that Charlie could still be alive had he stayed with his friends all night. I’m not blaming his friend that he left with. It shows what a good friend and person Charlie was. Charlie wanted to make sure his friend got back to the ship safely.
My heart truly goes out to Charlie’s family. They are amazing for what they are doing in trying to find answers about Charlie’s death.
Sources
https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/death-paradise-sailors-body-partly-1226915
https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/mum-convinced-son-murdered-serving-1232453
