Three Caribbean prison escapees, who allegedly killed an American couple, were placed in the wrong cells that were less secure, despite warnings they were dangerous and flight risks, the Grenada prime minister said this week.

Ron Mitchell, 30, Trevon Robertson, 23, and Abita Stanislaus, 25, were supposed to be placed in individual jail cells that had a “secure locking mechanism,” Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said.

Instead, they were “in a corridor” with burglar bars that suspects bent and broke free from South St. George Police Station on Feb. 18, according to Mitchell, who added that four officers were arrested. 

“It is clear that had the men been placed in the individual locking cells which had proper functioning locking mechanisms, they would not have escaped or had the opportunity to escape,” the prime minister said. “The investigation concluded … human error, primarily in the form of negligence, played a pivotal role in the escape.”

“Ralph and Kathy lived a life that most of us can only dream of,” they said in a heartfelt message.

They sailed off the eastern coast of the United States and “made friends with everyone they encountered, singing, dancing and laughing with friends and family.”

“That’s who Ralph and Kathy were and that’s how they will be remembered in our hearts,” they said. “We live in a world that at times can be cruel, but it’s also a world of profound beauty, wonder, adventure, love, compassion, caring and faith. 

“Our parents encompassed all those values and so much more.”