Tuesday, September 4th 2007
With his trademark grin absent from his face, a weary-looking Tommy Joseph sat in a car outside the Forensic Science Centre in St James yesterday, awaiting an autopsy on his 25-year-old son, Neketo, who was murdered on Sunday night.
Mustering whatever vocal strength he had, Joseph, a comedian/entertainer and also TT Post employee, told the Express, "I am feeling torn apart."
His sentiments were echoed by his wife, Julie, who said, "We want the perpetrators to be brought to justice, but we all know how the justice system is."
Neketo Joseph, a theatre attendant employed in St Clair, was shot dead during a robbery attempt on the Eastern Main Road, D'abadie, around 10.30 p.m., homicide officers said yesterday.
Joseph (N), a father of an eleven-month-old son, had only moments before left his mechanic when he started experiencing car problems in the vicinity of the La Flourissant housing development. He got out the car to check on the engine and was approached by two men who announced a hold-up.
The younger Joseph was shot once in the waist by the bandits, who then snatched his $10,000 gold chain from around his neck. The bandits then ran off. Joseph died on the spot.
A call was made to the police by several residents who heard the gunshot and officers arrived shortly after.
Relatives of Joseph said his girlfriend was having a "hard time tying to cope with his death".
"His mother, Angela Marcelle, who lives in the United States, is expected to arrive in Trinidad today," a relative said.
"We are trying to be strong and stay that way for Tommy's other son," Julie Joseph said.
Joseph's killing was one of three murders which occurred on Sunday night and are now being investigated by Homicide Eastern Bureau officers.
In an unrelated incident, Homicide officers are seeking the public's assistance in identifying the body of a man found on the stairway of an apartment at Dorata Street, Laventille.
The man, who has been described as being of African descent, five feet eleven, with a low haircut and clean shaven, was found by officers of the North Eastern Division Task Force around 10.45 p.m.
In the final incident on Sunday, self-employed Maraval businessman Simeon deNobriega was found dead by relatives around 5.54 p.m. at his Haleland Park, Maraval home. An autopsy performed on his body yesterday revealed he died from blunt force trauma to the head.
DeNobriega, 34, was found by his father lying in a pool of blood in a bedroom. Police said yesterday they are yet to establish a motive for the killing.
In another matter, an autopsy performed on the body of foreign-used car businessman Ronald Samlal meanwhile revealed he died from shock and haemorrhaging consistent with a gunshot wound.
Samlal, 42, of Eastern Main Road, San Juan, left his home on August 30 to transact business in Chaguanas, but failed to return home and relatives later received a call demanding money for his safe release.
These killings have now pushed the murder toll to 224 for the year thus far, 36 less than last years figure in the corresponding period.
Comments: Tommy Joseph's son killed
At least the PNM has gotten the murder rate down. Posted: 2007-09-04 04:18:00 AM
This is extremely sad, and I empathise with the Joseph family. That said, people
