Nearly 20 years after he allegedly stabbed and killed a fellow caddy at Pelham Country Club, Michael “Gifton” Cousins has been arrested and returned to Westchester.
Cousins was arrested last month by members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force Counter Terrorism and Organized Crime Fugitive Apprehension Team. He was indicted in Westchester County Court Monday on charges of second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He pleaded not guilty.
A statement from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office says that Cousins attacked fellow caddy Jason Campbell, 23, after a dispute while working at the Pelham Country Club on September 12, 1996. The dispute turned physical, and ended when Cousins pulled out a knife and stabbed Campbell in the chest, according to the district attorney’s office. Campbell was able to stumble into the golf course’s pro shop, where an ambulance was called.
Campbell later died in New Rochelle Hospital. Cousins fled the scene. A K-9 officer with the Pelham Manor Police Department discovered a knife while in pursuit of Cousins. DNA traces discovered on the knife belonged to the victim.
Westchester County listed Cousins as one of its most wanted fugitives. Golf Digest referred to him as “golf’s most wanted fugitive.”
Cousins was found this year in Kingston, Jamaica. He was taken into custody and brought back to Westchester last week. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
