WILLEMSTAD - Quincley Emanuel Poppen (30), a suspect in the deadly robbery of the Hua Jiant Minimarket on May 9, 2013, appeared in court yesterday for a procedural hearing. The final trial has been postponed to March 2025 due to a pending probation report.
Poppen is accused of manslaughter, armed robbery, and firearm possession in the fatal shooting of Chinese shopkeeper Yinghua Wu. On May 9, 2013—one day after the murder of Helmin Wiels—Poppen and accomplices entered the minimarket on Oude Caracasbaaiweg. During a scuffle with the shopkeeper's wife, Poppen struck her with a metal rod, and a gunshot was fired, killing Wu. The robbers made off with loose change and a few phone cards.
At the time of the incident, Poppen, then 18 years old, fled abroad and lived under a false identity in Dominica. He was on Interpol's wanted list for years before being arrested in Sint Maarten last year in connection with another case. Poppen admitted involvement in the robbery but denied intending to kill anyone, claiming the fatal shot was accidental as he returned to retrieve his phone.
In 2018, Poppen was convicted in absentia by the Curaçao Court of First Instance and sentenced to 18 years in prison for aggravated manslaughter, violent robbery resulting in death, and firearm possession. His accomplice received a 15-year sentence.
The upcoming appellate trial in March will determine whether the original sentence will be upheld.