Tim,
I'm sorry for the perfunctory translation, I only had about 5 minutes to spend on it, but PM me if you want a more detailed account and I'll put more time into it.
Although the article said he was a visitor, your point that he was around off and on through the years makes sense, as his parents live there. Apparently he went off-island to attend school in St. Martin, where he made a lot of friends on SBH (the article made the point that he was well-liked). It's very sad. I've been telling everyone about what a nirvana St. Barth's is, and never imagined a murder could ever occur there. I guess the combination of alcohol and anger translates to trouble no matter where you are in the world. I still feel that SBH is one of the safest places on the planet, this tragedy notwithstanding.
Lynn