Man who killed popular politician ten years ago regrets his decision

May 5, 2023  –WILLEMSTAD – Today marks exactly ten years since the popular Curaçao politician Helmin Wiels was assassinated on the Marie Pampoen beach. Elvis Kuwas, who carried out the shooting, is currently serving a life sentence. Ten years later, he regrets his decision, according to the Vigilante reporter, who spoke with him. 

On the day in question, Kuwas left his house in Mahuma with a flannel on his back and headed towards Koraal Specht, where he played dominoes with his group of friends. Later in the afternoon, he received a message on his phone from the now-deceased Luigi Florentina, alias Pretu. He asked Kuwas if he wanted to eat, and they arranged to meet in his garage. Later that afternoon, Curaçao learned that Helmin Wiels had died as a result of an attack on his life. The rest of the story is well-known. 

Kuwas was arrested in May 2013 and has been in custody since then. He admitted his guilt and was convicted, even after an appeal. Kuwas did not have an easy life as a boy. At the age of 12, he was already involved in theft, and a few years later, he was sent to a juvenile detention center after a friend of his was caught and he had to take the blame. A part of his life that never went away. The same is true for the case of Helmin Wiels. 

To this day, it pains him, he told Vigilante yesterday. Elvis is in the Netherlands and says that his life has completely changed. The murder of Wiels has completely changed his life and he regrets what happened. Nobody wants to believe it, but Elvis Kuwas did not know that he had killed Helmin Wiels ten years ago. He was told that the man in question would sign a document that would lead others to “hang”. At that time, Kuwas did not know who Helmin Wiels was. 

Every day Kuwas thinks about that day and as the date approaches, he continues to remember it. He cannot get it out of his mind. On his ward in prison, they play pool and football. He stays in touch with his family and no longer engages in his former life. He has a message for all young people to go to school, do sports, and stay away from crime, “because you don’t win anything with crime.” According to Kuwas, the underworld brings a lot of pain. “You should not only look at the money, because in the long term, you will not achieve anything.”